Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-10
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 given images describes the cafe in the college before it was renovated and also shown the new look.
Overall, the cafe has been enchanced with so many new changes, it elevate the look of the cafe and become nice place for students.
To start with, the space of the cafe is like L-shaped. There was kitchen area at the north direction, it was small rectangular space with some serving area. Beside that, there was two dining rooms back to back for the staff of the cafe while rest of the area had tables and chairs for the college students. Therefore, toilets were at the south east corner of the cafe. Along with it, there is one recycle bin kept in the right direction .
Furthermore, the cafe change a lot with time and add more facilities has added in it. However, the kitchen area is still the same with the new counter for which provide the hot meals. Moreover, the staff rooms has been converted into coffee bar and the other one is for takeaway food whereas it has more recycling bins provided for the waste.Regardless of, there is one new addition also and that is the salad bar, which is the left side near kitchen. In spite of, a barbecue counter has been created at the south west side outside the cafe with outdoor seating.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the kitchen, dining areas, and new additions like the salad bar and barbecue counter. However, the overview is somewhat informal and lacks a clear summary of the most significant changes. While the key features are identified, the description of the 'before' state is slightly repetitive, and the comparison between the two plans could be more analytical. To improve, ensure the overview highlights the most striking transformations rather than just stating that changes occurred. The response addresses the task requirements adequately but lacks the precision expected for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the 'before' to the 'after' state. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'Regardless of' and 'In spite of', which are used incorrectly in context. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when describing locations (e.g., 'the other one is for takeaway food'). While the overall arrangement is coherent, the flow between sentences could be smoother, and the misuse of transition signals occasionally disrupts the logical progression of the description.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for a basic description of the layout. There are some attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as 'renovated' and 'converted', but these are balanced by less precise phrasing like 'nice place' and 'change a lot'. Some word choices are awkward or incorrect, such as 'enchanced' (spelling error) and the misuse of 'direction' when referring to locations (e.g., 'north direction' instead of 'north side'). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise spatial terminology and avoiding informal, vague adjectives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('staff rooms has been converted'), incorrect verb tenses ('also shown the new look'), and awkward phrasing ('there is one new addition also and that is the salad bar'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage is essential.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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