Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-05
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 two plans illustrates the college cafeteria before and after it underwent renovation.
Overall, there are significant number of changes have been made.One of the most essential is outdoor seating and the addition of barbecue.Moreover, the facility of drive thru is also been made alongside with coffee bar.
In the past,the cafeteria consists of kitchen which is on the north with serving area in it.The hall consist of chairs and tables and staff dining rooms.There was a toilet on the south west of the cafe in front of it there was a bin.
Moving to current situation,the cafeteria undergo significant changes.
The serving area which is on the north east has been changed into hot meals.Furthermore,there is a addition of outdoor seating alongside with barbecue.In addition to , the staff ding area has been changed into take away food and coffee bar.There is also a addition of salad bar on the north east of cafeteria.Moreover, there is dramatically increase in the size of recycling bin.thus toilets remained 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, such as the addition of the coffee bar, outdoor seating, and the barbecue area. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While the main changes are identified, the spatial relationships are occasionally imprecise (e.g., 'north east' for the serving area). The response would benefit from a more cohesive summary of the transformation rather than a list-like approach. The key features are addressed, but the development of the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the past to the current situation. However, the use of cohesive devices is often repetitive or slightly unnatural, such as the frequent use of 'Moreover' and 'In addition to'. Some transitions are missing or awkward, such as 'thus toilets remained the same', which does not logically follow the previous sentence. Paragraphing is present, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall logical progression of the information.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the reader to understand the changes described. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'facility of drive thru is also been made' and 'dramatically increase'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and relies on basic descriptors. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise terminology related to architectural changes and spatial descriptions, and ensure that word forms (e.g., 'addition' vs 'additional') are used correctly in context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The two plans illustrates', 'the cafeteria consists of kitchen'), missing articles ('in north', 'on south west'), and incorrect verb tenses ('is also been made', 'cafeteria undergo'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. A greater focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly enhance the clarity and accuracy of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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