Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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 blue print of cafe depict how its look like before and now after some changes.

Overall, the old cafe was to simple like have basic areas such as kitchen,staff sitting tables and chairs with two rooms and a hall.On other side, new cafe has made according to modern standards with so many new additions in both inside and outside of the cafe.

The previous building had very simple arrangements with one kitchen along with one serving area and two rooms for staff and a open huge hall for general sitting and a bin which located with entrance also a toilet.

New building of cafe have modern infrastructure not so much change in building but divide serving area in four parts one in main kitchen and other three in vast area outside of the kitchen however staff seating replace by take away food and coffee bar and the most prominent change is barbecue section and outside large seating which cover one side of cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the original, simpler café and the redesigned café, and you mention several relevant changes, including the replacement of staff rooms with a takeaway area and coffee bar, plus outdoor seating and a barbecue. The overview also recognises that the redesign adds facilities inside and outside. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the new serving arrangement is not divided into “four parts,” and the salad bar and recycling bins are omitted. The outdoor seating is described as covering “one side” rather than being added along the southern wall. To make the account more complete and precise, select the key changes and describe their locations accurately, while distinguishing what stayed the same, such as the kitchen, central seating and toilets.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable four-paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the former and current café. This gives the reader a basic progression from general comparison to details. Some links between ideas are less clear, however. In the final paragraph, “divide serving area in four parts” is followed by “one in main kitchen and other three in vast area,” which makes the layout difficult to follow and does not match the plan. The long sentence in the third paragraph also strings several features together without clear boundaries. Use shorter sentences to group changes by location, and employ clear references such as “inside the café” and “outside along the southern wall” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “serving area,” “staff,” “kitchen,” “take away food,” “coffee bar” and “outside seating,” so the main subject is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “prominent change” and “modern infrastructure.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a plan: “blue print” is not the usual term here, “staff sitting tables” is unclear, and “vast area” does not precisely identify the central seating space. Repetition of “cafe” and “area” also limits flexibility. Build a more precise set of location and facility terms, and use standard collocations such as “staff dining rooms,” “central seating area” and “outdoor dining area.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the overall meaning can usually be followed. Some grammatical errors nevertheless affect clarity. For example, “The blue print of cafe depict” has problems with the article, subject–verb agreement and sentence form; “how its look like” also has an incorrect verb construction. In “new building of cafe have,” the subject and verb do not agree, while “a open huge hall” has an article error and awkward adjective order. Several long sentences lack punctuation, making relationships between features harder to understand. Practise accurate present and past descriptions, articles, and agreement, then divide complex descriptions into shorter clauses. This will let you show a wider range of structures with better control.

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.