Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-12
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 illustrate the changes made in a college cafe before it was structured and how it is presented now.
Overall, college cafe undergone significant changes with the addition of new facilities being added while some infrastructures remained the same.
Before the college cafe was constructed, it had a kitchen,opposite of which had a serving area . A passing way from food and drink area than lead to cafeteria where there is two separate rooms for staff dinning. However, large space is covered by table and chairs for students and in the corner there were toilets area besides that was bins and outdoor area for going.
Now, the Cafe underwent major changes like serving area is replaced by hot meals that is opposite to kitchen. Moreover, staff dining rooms are exchanged for take away food and coffee bar. Also the elongated area served for students experiences the development of new salad bar at its corner while recycling bin is added at its right side. An outdoor seating is arranged beside the main cafeteria also one can enter it using the path of way to toilet or from main area. A barbecue canteen is also made outside the cafe.
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 provides a clear overview of the changes, identifying the main features such as the reconfiguration of the serving area and the addition of new facilities. However, the description is occasionally imprecise. For example, the phrase 'before the college cafe was constructed' is inaccurate, as the plan shows the cafe existed previously. Furthermore, the spatial descriptions are sometimes difficult to follow, such as 'passing way from food and drink area than lead to cafeteria'. While the main features are covered, the lack of clarity in spatial relationships prevents a higher score. The summary of changes is generally accurate, but more precise terminology for layout features would improve the task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the 'before' and 'after' states. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Moreover', and 'Also' are used to link ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of information is generally logical, but the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when describing the location of specific items. For instance, 'besides that was bins' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be more fluid to achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with attempts to use topic-specific terms like 'infrastructure', 'reconfigured', and 'elongated'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'structured' instead of 'designed', 'passing way' instead of 'passageway', and 'exchanged for' instead of 'replaced by'. These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a limited control over precise academic vocabulary. To improve, focus on using more accurate collocations for describing floor plans and spatial arrangements.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('college cafe undergone', 'serving area is replaced by hot meals that is opposite') and awkward phrasing ('opposite of which had a serving area'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and incorrect preposition usage. While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of these errors is high enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the accuracy of basic sentence construction and refining the use of prepositions for spatial description will help improve this score.
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.