Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-03
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 map illustrate changes that took place in a college cafe.
Overall, It can be seen that, The cafe become considerably more developed today. Several new facilities were constructed, including barbecue, salad bar and coffee bar. However, The kitchen, toilets, table and chairs remained unchanged.
Now, The serving area all food and drink was replaced by hot meals it was located in the north-west. Salad bar was constructed situated to the west area. Staff dinning rooms were replaced by take away food and coffee bar were located in the northern area. Although kitchen stayed the same.
One bin area was there but after redesign it become larger in the east side. The barbecue is established to the south-west corner. Moreover the outdoor seating is added in cafe located in south. Furthermore The tables and chairs was retained and it situated in the centre of cafe. Near the toilets area the corrider is introduced also toilet satayed the same.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, identifying key additions like the barbecue and salad bar, and noting what remained unchanged. However, the overview is somewhat simplistic, and the description of the layout is occasionally confusing. For example, stating 'The serving area all food and drink was replaced by hot meals' is grammatically unclear and lacks precision. While the main features are addressed, the report lacks a sophisticated synthesis of the changes, and some spatial descriptions are difficult to follow, which prevents it from reaching a higher band. The response successfully highlights the key transformations but could benefit from more precise reporting of the spatial relationships.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, the use of 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Although' is sometimes forced or grammatically incorrect within the sentence structure. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'The tables and chairs was retained and it situated in the centre of cafe', where the pronoun 'it' does not clearly refer back to the plural subject. While there is an overall logical progression, the lack of smooth transitions and the repetitive sentence starters limit the flow of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. The student uses basic terms like 'developed', 'changed', and 'added' repeatedly. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'staff dinning rooms' (should be 'dining') and 'take away food' (should be 'takeaway'). The phrasing 'The map illustrate' shows a lack of subject-verb agreement, and the overall range of vocabulary is limited to simple descriptors. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise terminology for describing spatial changes and layout features, such as 'relocated', 'transformed', or 'expanded'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'The map illustrate', 'The cafe become', and 'tables and chairs was retained'. Punctuation is also problematic, with unnecessary commas used throughout, such as 'Overall, It can be seen that, The cafe...'. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at complex sentences often result in errors, such as 'Salad bar was constructed situated to the west area'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents a higher score.
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