Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-15
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 the transformation of the college cafe for students and others by showing the facilities developed and addition of outdoor seating will be provided for individuals.
Initially, cafe only have kitchen, serving area, two dining rooms, toilets and bin, whereas it now offers a wide range of student facilities.
Firstly, two staff dining rooms are converted into take away food room and coffee bar room. However, kitchen has no change but serving area is now replaced with hot meals. Moreover, the size of bin is now extended and called as recycling bins and toilets as it's same place but on the other side of bin salad bar is now installed Infront of the kitchen gate. In middle there are still tables and chairs will provided and now on there are two doors available for passing. On the other hand, the outdoor seating are also provided for the customers and five tables are installed in outdoor seating and barbecue is also installed in front of outdoor doors and inward door is next to toilets.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| 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 conversion of dining rooms and the addition of outdoor seating. However, the summary is somewhat disjointed and lacks a clear overview of the most significant changes. While the task is addressed, some descriptions are imprecise, such as 'kitchen has no change' (when the layout clearly shows modifications) and 'size of bin is now extended'. The report would benefit from a clearer structure that groups related changes together, rather than listing them in a somewhat random order. The inclusion of specific details is good, but the overall synthesis of the information could be more analytical to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is often confusing. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the abrupt transition 'However, kitchen has no change'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when describing the location of new features like the salad bar or the doors. The flow between sentences is hindered by awkward phrasing, which makes it difficult for the reader to follow the spatial transformation of the cafe. To improve, focus on using logical signposting to guide the reader through the layout changes systematically.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for describing diagrams. There are several instances of awkward word choice, such as 'take away food room' instead of 'takeaway area' and 'inward door' instead of 'entrance'. The repetition of basic verbs like 'installed' and 'provided' limits the range. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of sophisticated or topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'refurbished', 'partitioned', 'relocated') keeps the score in the lower range. Expanding your repertoire of descriptive verbs and nouns related to architectural changes would significantly improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'cafe only have kitchen' (missing articles), 'size of bin is now extended and called as recycling bins' (awkward passive construction), and 'In middle there are still tables and chairs will provided' (incorrect verb tense and structure). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing commas and run-on sentences. While the meaning is usually understandable, the high frequency of grammatical slips prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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