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 illustrate the difference between before redesigning cafe and today cafe

.

In today cafe, the staff dining rooms are replaced by take away food and coffee bar. Barbecue and outdoor seating are added.

In past cafe, when enter in a cafe on the left side, there is a bin for waste and toilets. In the front, there are tables and chairs for seating and on the right side of seating place, there are rooms for staff dining. On few steps ago, there is a serving area including all foods and drinks and also there is a kitchen on the backbside of serving room.

In today cafe, firstly on the right side of entrance, recycling bins and toilets are same. On the front, there are tables and chairs as in past, on the left side of seating area, staff dining rooms replaced by take away food and coffee bar. On the front of the seating area, there is a salad bar which is new and on the left side, there are two rooms, one is using for hot meals and one is for kitchen. But the main change is that, barbecue place and outdoor seating are newly organized.

So, there are many differences between past and present cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall changes: the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee facilities, and outdoor seating with a barbecue is added. You also note that the central tables and chairs and the toilets remain. However, several locations are misreported or unclear. In the old plan, the bin is by the eastern entrance, not on the left as stated; the staff rooms are along the top wall, rather than on the right of the seating. In the current plan, the salad bar is on the western wall, not in front of the seating, and the hot-meals counter replaces the serving area beside the kitchen. A clearer overview and more accurate selection of key changes would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an opening statement to the former layout and then the current one. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “In past cafe” and “In today cafe” signal the comparison. However, progression within the descriptions is not consistently clear: “when enter in a cafe on the left side” and “On few steps ago” make it difficult to follow the route through the plan. The final paragraph repeats several details already mentioned, while “So, there are many differences” adds little. Grouping information by areas that changed and features that stayed the same, and using precise location links, would create a clearer overall progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “recycling bins,” “outdoor seating,” “serving area,” and “staff dining rooms,” so the reader can recognise many of the features. However, the range is limited and some phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “today cafe,” “in past cafe,” “on few steps ago,” and “newly organized.” Repetition of “there are” and “on the front” also limits precision when describing locations. Aim for standard map-description language and vary verbs for change, such as “was replaced by,” “was added,” and “remained.” More accurate collocations and location terms would make the account easier to interpret.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer sentences, and the main comparison is generally understandable. However, grammatical errors occur frequently and sometimes make relationships between features unclear. Examples include “before redesigning cafe,” “when enter in a cafe,” and “one is using for hot meals,” which show problems with articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. The sentence beginning “On the front, there are tables…” also combines several locations without clear grammatical links. Most clauses follow a basic “there is/are” pattern, with limited accurate complex structure. Practise forming complete sentences with consistent present or past tense, correct articles, and clear prepositions; then check punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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