Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28

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)

In the given pictures their is a comparison between the plans that shows the college cafe's look before it was redesigned and after design completion.

In the comparison before the cafe redesign their is a kitchen and with it serves a serving area ( all food and drinks are served) and then their is a sitting area with some number of tables and chairs for customers. and then their is a room for cafe's staff with that a toilet is attached for public and staff.

After the redesign the serving area name has been changed with the hot meals and a new location is allocated as Salad bar over the redesign and the area for sitting with tables and chairs is somehow modified with the take away and cafe bar where the staff dining rooms. Moreover a new area with Outdoor seating is allocated outside the cafe today. According to my personal perspective this is a perfect design where a handsome amount of audience can gather for food.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from the original café to its redesigned form, including the kitchen, seating, hot-meal counter, salad bar and outdoor seating. However, the account is only partial and some details are unclear or inaccurate. The staff dining rooms were replaced by take-away food and a coffee bar; they were not simply “where the staff dining rooms” in a modified seating area. You also say a toilet is “attached” to the staff room, although the plans show toilets in the bottom-right corner, and omit notable changes such as recycling bins and the barbecue. The personal opinion that the design is “perfect” is not needed for this factual summary. A clearer overview of the main changes, followed by accurate comparisons, would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic chronological structure, moving from the café before redesign to its current layout, and uses signals such as “After the redesign” and “Moreover.” This gives the reader a general sense of comparison. However, the ideas are crowded into two long paragraphs, and the repeated “and then” makes the first section feel like a list rather than a clearly organised description. Some links are also difficult to follow, particularly “the area for sitting … is somehow modified with the take away and cafe bar where the staff dining rooms.” Organise the response into a brief overview and separate paragraphs for the original and current plans. Use clear location-based links such as “along the north wall” and “in the south” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “kitchen,” “serving area,” “tables and chairs,” “Salad bar” and “Outdoor seating.” These terms help communicate the main subject. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “their is a comparison” and “a new location is allocated as Salad bar” do not express the layout clearly, while “handsome amount of audience” is unsuitable for describing café customers. Repetition of “area” and “redesign” also limits variety. Aim for precise plan-description language, such as “was replaced by,” “was added along the western wall,” and “the seating area remained in the centre.” Avoid evaluative phrases and use neutral, factual wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example with “After the redesign” and “Moreover,” but control is inconsistent, and several sentences contain multiple grammatical problems. The repeated “their is” should be “there is,” and “the cafe's look before it was redesigned and after design completion” has an awkward, incomplete comparison structure. In “the serving area name has been changed with the hot meals,” the passive construction and preposition are faulty; a clearer form is “the serving area was replaced by a hot-meal counter.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention: the first paragraph includes a sentence beginning “and then” after a full stop, and the final sentence adds an opinion rather than completing the description. Practise accurate simple sentences before combining them.

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