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 plans below illustrate a college cafe before and after its redesign.

Before the redesign.

We notice that the cafe contained staff dining rooms and a kitchen with serving area both at the right wall from the entrance and at left we notice a bin and toilets. We also notice that chairs and tables are distributed in the remaining space.

After the redisign.

We notice a few changes, these changes reside in renovating the Staff dining rooms into Take away food and a Coffee bar, also the serving area that was meant for both food and drinks is now fully meant for hot meals, we also notice a salad bar in the wall facing the entrence, and change of the normal bin into a recycling bin.

while new things were added such as an Outdoor seating with two entrances connecting it to the inside of the college cafe, and also in addition of a Barbecue place in the Outdoor seating area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee areas, the new hot-meal counter, recycling bins, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, the account is only partly complete and some locations are inaccurate: the bin and toilets were on the right, not the left, and the serving area was beside the kitchen rather than at the right wall. The overview of what stayed the same is also limited; for example, the central tables and chairs and the toilets remained, and the kitchen stayed in the same corner. To strengthen the response, describe the main layout accurately and distinguish clearly between retained features and additions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic before-and-after structure, and phrases such as “Before the redesign” and “After the redesign” help the reader follow the comparison. The changes are generally grouped together, so the main sequence is understandable. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, with repeated openings such as “We notice,” and the second section combines several changes in a long sentence. The standalone introductory fragments also interrupt the flow. Organise the information into a clear introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the original and current layouts. Use linking expressions selectively and refer to locations consistently so that relationships between features are easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “staff dining rooms,” “serving area,” “recycling bin,” and “outdoor seating.” These terms make the main changes recognisable. However, the range is limited by repeated wording such as “we notice” and general phrases such as “new things” and “a few changes.” Some choices are imprecise or awkward, including “fully meant for hot meals” and “a Barbecue place,” while spelling errors in “redisign” and “entrence” reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise plan-description language, such as “was converted into,” “is located along,” and “was added,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates its basic meaning, and it attempts to link ideas in longer sentences, for example when describing the conversion of the dining rooms and the serving area. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and several attempts at complex sentences are faulty or difficult to follow. “We notice that the cafe contained staff dining rooms and a kitchen with serving area both at the right wall” has unclear structure and missing articles, while “while new things were added” begins with a lowercase conjunction and is not integrated cleanly with the preceding sentence. The fragments “Before the redesign” and “After the redisign” are also not complete sentences. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses and consistent punctuation.

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