Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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 illustrates a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall, it is noticeable that the highest change is that there is a lot of alternations in table and chairs area with variety of options and outdoor seating and the least thing is, firstly there's only bin but now its recycling bin.

It is evident that cafe before redesigning have only kitchen and outside it was a serving area that sreves all food and drinks, there was also a staff dining rooms and also tables and chairs. This area also contains bin and toilet. The cafe today is redesigned have kitchen which offers hot meals and table and chairs are still there but with changings, the staff dining rooms convert into take away food and coffee bar. There is also a salad bar and bin modify into recycling bin. Toilet is at same place and it also provides outdoor seating with barbecue option.

A closer look reveals that there is a lot of changings in table and chairs area it contains variety of options.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the original café and its redesigned form, including the new takeaway and coffee-bar facilities, salad bar, recycling bins and outdoor seating with a barbecue. You also correctly note that the kitchen and toilets remain and that the staff dining rooms have been replaced. However, some important details are only broadly described: the outdoor seating area’s position and tables, and the changes to the serving counter, could be reported more precisely. The overview’s claim that the main change is the “table and chairs area” is unclear, since the central seating remains and the most notable additions are the new food facilities and outdoor area. Develop the comparisons more fully and avoid repeating the same general point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the two plans. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Overall” and “A closer look reveals” signal transitions. However, the final paragraph repeats the claim about changes to the tables and chairs without adding information, so progression is limited. Several details are also crowded into long sentences, particularly the paragraph beginning “It is evident that cafe before redesigning…”, which makes the sequence of comparisons harder to follow. Grouping features by location or by what changed versus what stayed the same would create clearer progression. Use linking expressions to show specific contrasts, rather than relying on repeated “also” and “but.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “staff dining rooms,” “serving area,” “salad bar” and “outdoor seating,” so the reader can understand the main features. There are also attempts to describe change, such as “convert into” and “modify into.” However, several word choices and forms are inaccurate or repetitive: “alternations” and “changings” are not natural here, and “the highest change” does not clearly express the main transformation. “Options” is also vague when describing the café’s facilities. These choices sometimes make the description imprecise, although the overall meaning remains understandable. Build a more precise range of verbs for plan changes, such as “was replaced by,” “was added,” and “remained unchanged,” and check spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can generally follow the comparison. However, errors in agreement, tense and sentence construction recur. For example, “The plans illustrates” needs a plural verb, while “cafe before redesigning have” has an incorrect verb form and an unclear time reference. In “The cafe today is redesigned have kitchen,” the sentence structure and article use make the meaning difficult to process. Some sentences also join several ideas with “and,” reducing control of punctuation and clause structure. Practise using accurate past forms for the earlier plan and present forms for the current one, and build comparisons with clear subjects and verbs. More reliable sentence control would make your details easier to understand.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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