Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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)

This map shows a college cafe before its revolution or advancement and things which have changed .

The plan shows the advancement of every area of cafe and difference between before and current design including New Outdoor sitting and other facilities for more entertainment.

Before cafe redesign there was just a kitchen and reception where all the drinks and food is served and a seprate staff and dining rooms right after entering the cafe the place which is empty have tables and chairs for the customers who came for dining in cafe. and there was a bin near the toilets.

After Redesign Kitchen is seprated from order recieving reception hot meals are served their but the Take away food and a coffee bar placed and staff dining room demolished There is also a new Salad Bar near the kitchen a new outdoor sitting also includent for outdoor experience. Recycling bin is next to the toilets.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main change from staff dining rooms to new food facilities and mention the outdoor seating, so the response is relevant to the plans. However, the overview is vague: “advancement of every area” does not clearly summarise the key changes, and some details are inaccurate or unclear. The kitchen remains in the same place; the serving counter is relabelled for hot meals, rather than the kitchen being separated from a reception. You also say the salad bar is near the kitchen, although it is along the western wall, and omit important changes such as the barbecue and the new southern doors. A clearer overview and more precise comparisons of the main features would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic chronological structure, moving from the original layout to the redesigned café, and the paragraph break helps distinguish these stages. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven: the first paragraph repeats the task introduction, while the later descriptions combine several changes in long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the sentence beginning “After Redesign” moves from the kitchen to takeaway food, the former staff rooms, the salad bar and outdoor seating without clear links. Some connections, such as “right after entering,” are also difficult to interpret against the plan. Organise the report into a concise introduction, a clear overview, and grouped details, using linking phrases to show which features stayed and which changed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a café plan, including “kitchen,” “tables and chairs,” “take away food,” and “recycling bin.” There is also an attempt to vary wording with “redesign” and “facilities.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the layout hard to understand. “Revolution or advancement” is not suitable for a straightforward redesign, and “reception” does not accurately describe the serving counter. Spelling errors such as “seprate,” “recieving,” and “includent” are noticeable. Use the labels from the plan where appropriate and practise precise terms for locations and facilities, such as “counter,” “along the western wall,” and “outdoor seating area.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, but control is inconsistent, and errors often make relationships between features unclear. For example, “the place which is empty have tables and chairs” has problems with clause structure and subject–verb agreement, while “hot meals are served their” contains an incorrect form and unclear sentence boundaries. The response also shifts between past and present forms, as in “Before cafe redesign there was” and “After Redesign Kitchen is,” and punctuation is often missing around sentence boundaries. Most sentences rely on simple patterns or run several ideas together. Build accuracy first with complete sentences, consistent past-versus-present descriptions, and correct agreement; then add controlled clauses such as “while” or “whereas” for comparisons.

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

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