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 plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now. By looking at both the designed, we can see that after redesigning, the college cafe has become more comfortable and has more area for sitting. It also has some more food items as well.

The older cafe had only one compound fixed for foods, that had all the meals and drinks at one space. All the sitting arrangements were indoor for students ans staff members as well. There were 2 compounds fixed for staff memebrs only. There was only 1 bin near the toilets to use it for aall types of rubbish or plastic bags. There was only 1 exit and 1 entering door in the previous cafe.

After redesigning, the new cafe, has both type of sitting arrangements indoor and outdoor. But, now the 2 compounds for teachers are being used for other purposes. 1 for take away food and otther for coffee bar. There are now 4 food corners (salad bar, coffee bar, barbecue, and hot meals). Kitchen is still at the same side with the same area. There are now multiple recycling bins near the toilets. there are now 2 exit and entering doors.

After observing both the cafes, we can conclude that whether the redesigned cafe do not have compound fixed staff corner, still it has more other corners included, which make it more catchy. The redesigned cafe has more sitting space and more food items. It now have take away facility as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change clearly: the café now offers more food options and both indoor and outdoor seating, while the kitchen and toilets remain. You also compare the former staff rooms with the new takeaway and coffee-bar areas, and mention the recycling bins and added outdoor facilities. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the old plan shows an entrance/exit with two doors, not “only 1 exit and 1 entering door,” and the new plan does not show four food corners because the barbecue is an outdoor facility. The overview that the café is “more comfortable” and “more catchy” is subjective; focus instead on the concrete expansion and reorganisation. More precise coverage of the new southern outdoor area and the unchanged central seating would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction to the former layout, the redesigned café, and a concluding comparison. This makes the main stages easy to follow. You also use basic linking expressions such as “After redesigning” and “After observing both the cafes.” However, some connections are mechanical, and the conclusion repeats earlier claims about more seating and food rather than adding a concise synthesis. References such as “1 for take away food” require the reader to infer what “1” refers to, while “there are now 2 exit and entering doors” is difficult to interpret. Group related changes more clearly—for example, indoor service changes together and outdoor additions together—and use precise references to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate the main changes, including “kitchen,” “salad bar,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, which limits precision: “compound fixed for foods,” “food corners,” and “catchy” do not describe the plan naturally. “Sitting arrangements” is understandable but less suitable than “seating,” and “all types of rubbish or plastic bags” is an unsupported and awkward description of the former bin. Spelling errors such as “memebrs,” “otther,” and “aall” also reduce control. Build a more precise set of layout terms—such as “area,” “counter,” “facility,” and “seating”—and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “But, now the 2 compounds for teachers are being used for other purposes,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Some grammatical errors remain, however. For example, “the redesigned cafe, has” contains an unnecessary comma, while “whether the redesigned cafe do not have” has an incorrect clause structure and verb form. There are also agreement and tense problems in “It now have take away facility,” and the sentence “There are now 2 exit and entering doors” does not form a clear grammatical description. Use consistent past tense for the former plan and present tense for the current one, and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. More accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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