Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The graphs illustrate the designs of a college cafe before and after some modifications in it's layout.

Before re-instructural upgrades the cafe used have a Kitchen at the northern west of the cafe and infront of kitchen, there was a serving area for all kind of foods and drinks. On the east side of this serving area the dining rooms for staff were present. The tables and chairs in the middle of the cafe. Toilets on the southern east side of the cafe and a bin for wastage in the east side of the cafe.

After the redesign, Kitchen remain in the same place as it used to be in northern west side. Serving area for all kind of foods and drinks is replaced by hot meals only. The staff dining rooms were changed with take away food and the coffe bar. A new salad bar opened at the west side of the cafe.

Some major upgrades include, outside seating space and a berbecue place. All the other things remained at their original places.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the kitchen staying in place, the serving counter becoming a hot-meals counter, the staff rooms being replaced, and new outdoor facilities. However, the account is only partial: it does not mention the recycling bins replacing the bin, the toilets remaining in the same position, or the two new doors to the outdoor area. The overview, “All the other things remained at their original places,” is too broad because the central seating remains, but the bin changes and new facilities are added. Some locations are also unclear, such as the staff rooms being “on the east side” of the serving area. Covering the main changes more precisely and distinguishing unchanged features from altered ones would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable sequence: it describes the original layout, then the redesigned café, and ends with a brief summary of additions. This gives the reader a basic sense of before and after. However, progression within the descriptions is sometimes abrupt, as in “The tables and chairs in the middle of the cafe. Toilets on the southern east side,” where the points are not connected in complete sentences. The final statement that “All the other things remained” also does not clearly refer to specific features. Use clearer links between locations and changes, and organise the comparison around what stayed, what was replaced, and what was added.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant layout vocabulary, including “serving area,” “dining rooms,” “redesign,” and “salad bar,” so the reader can identify many of the features. However, several choices are inaccurate or awkward for describing a plan: “re-instructural upgrades” is unclear, “infront of kitchen” is imprecise, and “a berbecue place” is not a natural description. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “coffe” and “it's” for the possessive “its.” Aim for precise terms such as “north-west corner,” “counter,” and “outdoor seating area,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer comparisons, for example, “After the redesign, Kitchen remain in the same place as it used to be.” However, grammatical control is inconsistent, and some sentences are incomplete: “The tables and chairs in the middle of the cafe” and “Toilets on the southern east side of the cafe” lack a main verb. Verb forms and agreement also need attention: use “the kitchen remains” and “the café used to have,” rather than “Kitchen remain” and “the cafe used have.” Articles and sentence boundaries are sometimes missing or awkward. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, then check tense and agreement throughout.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.