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)

The maps below represnt a college cafe before and after design . Cafe before redesign have a two staff dining rooms which is closed to each other and more area for the tables and chairs, one toilets bottom right side, bin is nearest to the toilets. Top leftside in the before redesign have a combine kitchen and serving area for all food and drink . Cafe today have represent alot of difference as compaire to the before redesign some is same but more changes show in the cate today. Top leftside serving area change into hot meals which is very well improvment, inside cafe two room change into seperated room one is take away food and second into coffee bar and tables and chairs is same almost. Bin show update in the today cafe recycling bins and inside another new salad bar is add inside cafe. The barbecue area is totaly new show in the after redesign to enjoy the barbecue outside from the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the conversion of the serving counter to hot meals, the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee areas, and the addition of a salad bar and barbecue. You also note features that remain, such as the toilets and central tables and chairs. However, the account is only partly complete: it omits the new outdoor seating and its access doors, and does not clearly describe the recycling bins as replacing the single bin. Some locations are imprecise, and the overview that there are “alot of difference” is not developed into a clear summary of the main changes. Include the outdoor expansion and distinguish retained features from new facilities to make the comparison more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response generally moves from the former layout to the current one, and phrases such as “Cafe before redesign” and “Cafe today” help signal the comparison. However, the information is presented as one long paragraph, with several ideas joined by commas or loosely connected phrases. This makes the progression difficult to follow, particularly in the sentence beginning “Cafe today have represent alot of difference.” Some linking expressions, such as “some is same but more changes,” are vague and do not clearly show how the features relate. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the detailed comparison, and group changes by location or by what stayed and what changed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant layout vocabulary, including “staff dining rooms,” “tables and chairs,” “recycling bins,” and “barbecue,” so the reader can identify many of the facilities. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, such as “closed to each other,” “combine kitchen,” and “show update.” Spelling errors including “represnt,” “seperated,” and “totaly” are noticeable and reduce precision. Some phrases are also informal or unclear, for example “alot of difference” and “to enjoy the barbecue outside from the cafe.” Build a more precise set of verbs for describing plans, such as “remained,” “was replaced by,” and “was added,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to combine comparisons and descriptions, but most sentences rely on simple patterns, and attempts at longer structures are often faulty. For example, “Cafe before redesign have a two staff dining rooms” has problems with tense, agreement, and article use, while “inside cafe two room change into seperated room” does not form a clear grammatical sentence. There are also missing or inconsistent articles and plural forms, as in “one toilets” and “a combine kitchen.” These errors sometimes make relationships between features hard to understand. Practise accurate past and present forms for before-and-after descriptions, and build clear sentences with a subject and verb before adding comparisons or location details.

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