Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-04
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)
The diagrams compare the layout changes of a college cafe before and after its renovation.
Overall, several changes are being made in cafe by adding outdoor seating, salad bar, barbecue and replacing staff dining rooms into take away food and a cofee bar.
Before redesign, Kitchen was on the top left corner of the cafe in front of this serving area for all food and drink. Subsequently, staff dining rooms divided into two section in front of it tables and chairs placed. There is a single bin near the main entrance and the toilets are in the right corner.
After redesign, Major Changes are being made to the cafe by adding outdoor seating at the main entrance. In addition, barbecue, salad bar are now on the left side of the cafe. Furthermore, serving area for all food and drink became hot meals section, staff dining rooms replaced by a take away foof and a cofee bar section. Tables and chairs remained at the center of the cafe. Finally, recycling bins were added to a single bin.
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, including the addition of outdoor seating, the salad bar, and the conversion of the staff dining area. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview of the most significant changes. While the key features are identified, the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states could be more integrated. The summary of the layout is accurate, but the response would benefit from a more sophisticated synthesis of the information rather than simply listing the changes in a sequential manner. The overview provided in the second paragraph is a good start but could be more detailed regarding the overall transformation of the space.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the 'before' to the 'after' state. Cohesive devices such as 'Subsequently', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes repetitive and mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved to make the text feel more cohesive. For example, the transition between the description of the kitchen and the staff dining rooms is a bit abrupt. Overall, the structure is functional, but it lacks the sophisticated flow required for a higher band score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with terms like 'renovation', 'layout', and 'redesign' used correctly. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'cofee' and 'foof', which detract from the overall quality. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive; for instance, the word 'section' is used multiple times in close proximity. To achieve a higher score, you should aim for a wider variety of descriptive verbs and nouns to describe the changes, such as 'transformed', 'converted', or 'relocated', and ensure that spelling is accurate throughout the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'several changes are being made in cafe' lacks an article, and 'staff dining rooms divided into two section' is missing a verb or preposition. There are also issues with tense consistency and pluralisation, such as 'barbecue, salad bar are now'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and ensuring that your verb tenses accurately reflect the timeline of the changes described.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.