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 plans illustrate a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.
Firstly, it can be seen that the entire cafe underwent many changes. In northwestern area, the kitchen section remained unchanged. Usually, the serving area was converted into the hot meals. In southwestern area, many new sections were built which included salad bar, a barbecue and the outdoor seating.
Furthermore, the seating area was expanded for proper dining. In southeastern area, the toilets are at same place whereas, the bin area got renovated into a recycling bin which is beneficial for cleaning purposes. In northeastern area, the staff dining rooms was replaced with take away food and the coffee bar sections. Moreover, it can be recognised that in both time periods many things remained untouched but still the area faced many new constructions which provided greater convenience for cafe users.
Basically, the cafe was built with few facilities but got redesigned into many new elements.
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 redesign, including the kitchen, seating, and new facilities. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview or summary of the most significant changes. While the task is addressed, the reporting of features is a bit list-like, and some details, such as the 'hot meals' conversion, are slightly unclear. To reach a higher band, you should provide a more cohesive summary of the overall transformation rather than just listing changes by location. The inclusion of specific details like the recycling bin is good, but the overall synthesis of the information could be more analytical.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', and 'In northwestern area', although some of these are used slightly unnaturally (e.g., 'In northwestern area' should be 'In the northwestern area'). The progression of ideas is logical, moving from one section of the cafe to another. However, the flow between sentences can feel a bit repetitive. Improving the variety of linking phrases and ensuring consistent use of articles would enhance the overall coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the changes effectively. You use terms like 'redesigned', 'converted', 'expanded', and 'renovated', which are appropriate for this type of report. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'bin area got renovated into a recycling bin' or 'the serving area was converted into the hot meals'. A wider range of precise vocabulary related to spatial changes and facility upgrades would help elevate the score. The current range is sufficient but lacks the sophistication required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with article usage (e.g., 'In northwestern area' instead of 'In the northwestern area') and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'staff dining rooms was replaced'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on consistent article usage and ensuring that plural subjects match their verbs. The sentence structures are generally clear, but more variety in complex sentence construction would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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