Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-08
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 maps illustrate a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks today.
Overall, the most noticeable changes were staff dining rooms and serving area all food and drink, whereas, the main developments were outdoor seating and recycling bins, while two small salad bar barbecue new added.
To begin with, kitchen had almost same northwest side in today. Meanwhile, serving area all food and drink was renovated hot meals in present. The most significant modernised into staff dining rooms. In today, which was established to two large rooms such as take away food and coffee bar. Tables and chairs remained unchanged in the center. likewise, a small bin converted into large recycling bins on the left side and near toilets.
Regarding the new development, outdoor seating expanded into five tables with chairs in the outside, and besides new barbecue added. Finally, small salad bar extended in the right side of center.
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 new outdoor seating, the conversion of the staff dining area, and the addition of the salad bar and barbecue. However, the description is sometimes confusing, particularly regarding the location of the kitchen and the serving area. While the overview identifies key changes, the lack of clarity in describing the spatial relationships makes it difficult for the reader to visualize the transformation. The response addresses the prompt's requirements but lacks the precision needed for a higher band, as some details are presented in a fragmented or slightly inaccurate manner.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the flow of ideas is often hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of smooth transitions. For example, phrases like 'In today, which was established to two large rooms' are grammatically disjointed, making the progression of information feel mechanical. While cohesive devices such as 'To begin with' and 'Regarding the new development' are used, they do not always connect the sentences logically. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to track which part of the cafe is being discussed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. There are several instances of awkward word choice and incorrect collocations, such as 'renovated hot meals' and 'barbecue new added'. The student attempts to use descriptive language, but the lack of precision often obscures the intended meaning. For instance, 'small salad bar barbecue new added' is confusing and lacks the necessary vocabulary to accurately describe the changes in the floor plan. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise verbs and nouns related to spatial changes and renovations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are issues with article usage ('in the center', 'in the outside'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. Many sentences are fragmented or lack necessary prepositions, such as 'kitchen had almost same northwest side in today'. Complex sentence structures are attempted but are often faulty, leading to confusion. While the meaning is generally discernible, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band. More attention to sentence formation and proofreading for basic errors is required.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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