Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-06

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 compares the plans of a college cafe before and after it was redesigned.

Overall, ther are many changes that have been made after the redesign of this cafe. Only a few places have the same place in the maps as they have before the renovation.

Talking of the changes, the biggest and noticable change is the new Outdoor seating right in front of the Barbecue area with two new entry exit points. The Staff dining rooms have been devided into Coffee bar and Take away. The new additions are the Salad bar and the Hot meals area located beside kitchen. Also ther is a new recycling bin.

Only a few places serve the same purpose as they were doing before. First of which is the Kitchen along with the Toilets. In addition to then the Tables and Chairs area remained exactly the same as they were befor the renovation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the redesign, such as the outdoor seating, the division of the staff room, and the new food areas. However, the description is somewhat superficial. For instance, it mentions the 'biggest and noticeable change' but lacks specific detail regarding the layout's flow or the relative positioning of the new features compared to the old ones. The overview is present but could be more analytical by highlighting the shift from a more enclosed space to one with more service-oriented additions. While all parts of the task are addressed, the development of the information is basic and lacks the precision required for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Talking of the changes' and 'In addition to', though some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or unnatural. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between the kitchen/toilets and the tables/chairs could be smoother. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is clear enough to follow without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the changes clearly. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'ther' instead of 'there', 'noticable' instead of 'noticeable', 'devided' instead of 'divided', and 'befor' instead of 'before'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. The range of vocabulary is limited to basic descriptive terms. To achieve a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise terminology related to spatial changes and avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'The diagrams compares' (subject-verb agreement), 'have the same place in the maps as they have before' (tense inconsistency), and 'In addition to then' (incorrect prepositional phrase). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur consistently throughout the text. The student needs to focus on subject-verb agreement, consistent verb tenses when describing past and present states, and basic proofreading to eliminate simple slips.

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

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