Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-03

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 how a cafe looked before and after its redesigning.

Before the redesig the cafe had fewer compartments, also some new facilities have been introduced like the outdoor seating area and the salad bar and barbecue section.

The kitchen area remains at the same location but the serving area which was in front of the kitchen has been replaced with the Hot meals section with the entrence located at same area as it was before. The staff dining area has been replaced with a take away food area and a coffee bar which are seperated by a wall and both of them have diffrent interence now.

On the other hand the regular bin has been replaced with multiple recycling bins.Toilets remain in the same area as it were before the redesigning with an enterence facing directly at the recycling bins. just on the left side of toilets there is a out door where new seating area has been installed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall changes: the kitchen stays in place, the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee areas, and new outdoor seating and a salad bar are added. You also compare the serving counter and waste facilities, so the response addresses the task and its key features. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the entrance is not described as being in the same area as the former serving counter, and the toilets’ door is not stated to face the recycling bins. The outdoor barbecue is mentioned in the overview but not developed in the description. A clearer overview of the major changes, followed by more precise location comparisons, would make the account more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable sequence: it begins with an overview, then describes the kitchen and former staff rooms, and finally covers the bin, toilets and outdoor area. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and phrases such as “On the other hand” signal a comparison. However, the progression is not always smooth: the first detailed paragraph combines several changes, while the final paragraph moves abruptly from recycling bins to toilets and then outdoors. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “which are separated” and “both of them” could be made more precise. Grouping the interior changes together and the new exterior features in a separate paragraph would strengthen the organisation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “replaced,” “remains,” “section,” and “seating area,” which allows the main changes to be understood. There is some repetition of general terms such as “area” and “new,” and several spelling errors—“redesig,” “entrence,” “seperated,” “diffrent,” and “enterence”—reduce accuracy. Some expressions are also imprecise for this task: “regular bin” is less exact than “general-waste bin,” while “out door” should be written as “outdoor.” Aim for accurate spelling and more specific terms for facilities and spatial changes. This would give your vocabulary greater precision and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “which” and contrasts introduced by “but.” The meaning is usually recoverable, but errors occur in sentence structure, agreement, articles and punctuation. For example, “Toilets remain in the same area as it were before” has an unclear pronoun and incorrect agreement; “there is a out door” has an article error; and “both of them have diffrent interence now” lacks a clear grammatical construction. The long sentence beginning “The kitchen area remains…” also joins several ideas without clear punctuation. Use shorter, controlled sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence boundaries while retaining some complex structures.

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