Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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 first plan shows the college cafe before redesign and second plan illustrates the cafe after redesign. We make comparion of both cafe before and after redesign.

The old cafe before redesign is look very old school design. It just has dinning rooms for staff. But students have to sit outside. On the right side, a toilets are made for use and on the top left side, there is a kitchen and also serving area.

The new design cafe is not completely different. The kitchen is on its old place. But in kitchen, just hot meals are serving. The staff dining rooms were changed into take away food and coffee bar. The tables and chairs are on its last place. Toilets are also on its old place. The recycling bins are infront of toilets and on the left side, there is a salad bar. The additional thing that added in this new design cafe is barbecue area. It is outside the cafe and it has outdoor sitting infront of it.

In conclusion, the old and new designs are some similarities. But new design has some additional things like barbecue, salad bar and recycling bins. Although both designs have much similarities such as kitchen on old place , toilets and tables and chairs are also on its old place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main purpose of the plans and report several important changes, including the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee areas, the addition of a salad bar, and the kitchen and toilets remaining in place. This gives a relevant account of both layouts. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the plans do not show students having to sit outside before the redesign, and the new outdoor seating is not described as being in front of the barbecue. The overview also repeats similarities and additions rather than clearly summarising the overall transformation. To strengthen the response, describe the new southern access and outdoor seating, and distinguish the recycling bins’ position from the toilets more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence: it introduces the comparison, describes the old café, then the redesigned café, and ends with a conclusion. This makes the main information reasonably easy to follow. However, the final paragraph largely repeats points already made, and the opening sentence, “We make comparion of both cafe,” does not add useful information. Some links between details are also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “But” and “also.” Organise the report around an overview followed by the main changes and retained features, and use clearer references such as “the former staff rooms” and “these facilities” to connect ideas without repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “kitchen,” “serving area,” “take away food,” “coffee bar,” and “recycling bins.” These terms help communicate the main changes, but the range is limited and some choices are imprecise or unnatural. For example, “old school design” is informal and does not accurately describe the layout, while “outdoor sitting” is less suitable than the standard term for an area with tables and chairs. There are also spelling and word-form errors, such as “comparion” and “dinning.” Aim for precise plan-description language and check spelling, especially for key labels taken from the diagram.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences using contrast, for example, “The kitchen is on its old place. But in kitchen, just hot meals are serving.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction are noticeable. Examples include “The old cafe before redesign is look” and “a toilets are made,” while “hot meals are serving” needs a passive construction. The conclusion also contains an incomplete or awkward structure: “the old and new designs are some similarities.” Practise accurate present and past passive forms, and build comparisons with complete clauses, such as “The staff dining rooms were replaced by…”

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.