Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-14
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 plan illustrate how the college cafe has been transformed by comparing its original and redesigned layout.
Overall, The plan explain some major modification made in college cafe with the passage of time. It illustrate how some features of cafe has been transformed or changed.
In this plan old and redesigned cafe is described. Some features are changed and some are replaced.
In old cafe there was two connected staff dining rooms with chairs and tables, which are changed and redesigned into two new seprated rooms which are coffee bar and the other where students took there food.
There was bins located with the wall of cafe where trash is stored which are replaced with recycling units, these units have more benefits in recycling trash.
However the kitchen and serving areas are also modified. The major features such as Salad bar room and a Barbecue place is design which is entertaining for peoples.
In the center of cafe there is a huge hall full with chairs and tables.
For outdoor students the seating chairs are arranged. In spare time students have seat on outdoor seating and enjoy barbecue.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, such as the changes to the dining rooms, the addition of the coffee bar, and the new outdoor seating. However, the overview is repetitive and lacks a clear summary of the most significant changes. The description of the layout is somewhat disjointed, and the mention of 'barbecue' is not clearly supported by the visual evidence typically found in such tasks, suggesting a slight misinterpretation of the diagram. To improve, ensure the overview highlights the most striking transformations rather than listing features in a repetitive manner.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into short paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'In this plan' or 'There was'. The logical progression is hindered by the repetitive nature of the introduction and the lack of clear linking phrases between the description of the old layout and the new one. Paragraphing is present but could be more effectively used to group related features, such as indoor versus outdoor changes, to improve the overall structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'major modification made in college cafe' and 'students took there food' (a spelling error for 'their'). The range of vocabulary is limited to basic descriptors like 'changed', 'replaced', and 'modified'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise terminology related to spatial changes, such as 'converted', 'relocated', 'expanded', or 'partitioned', and ensure correct word forms and collocations are used consistently.
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 that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The plan illustrate', 'features of cafe has been transformed') and incorrect preposition usage ('bins located with the wall'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalisation. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and proofreading for minor slips would significantly improve the accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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