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 illustrates a college café before redesign and now. We can clearly see how many new things have been constructed and added to the café.
The serving area inside the café have been replaced by Hot meals. At the north-side of the café a “Salad bar” have been constructed. Customers can directly get their salads from the bar. There were two staff dining rooms which have now converted to a coffee bar and Take away food. Customers can grab their coffee and take away their food from those two counters.
The “bin” which was near the toilets have also been expanded and it has converted to a recycle bin. A barbecue section have also been constructed at the south-west of the café. Two new door are also added one is near the barbecue section and another door is near the toilet. The hotel have expanded their seating area by adding tables and seats outside the café. And the Two new doors are connected with outside 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 redesign, such as the new serving areas, the barbecue section, and the outdoor seating. However, the overview is weak; it lacks a summary of the most significant changes, such as the overall expansion of the facility. The description of the 'serving area' being replaced by 'Hot meals' is slightly inaccurate based on the visual data, as the layout shows a functional change rather than a simple replacement. To improve, ensure you provide a clear, concise summary of the main trends or changes in the introduction or as a separate overview paragraph, and ensure your descriptions of the spatial changes are precise.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the frequent use of 'have been' and 'have also been' makes the flow feel a bit stilted. The transition between the description of the interior and the exterior is abrupt. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect your ideas more fluidly, such as 'In contrast,' 'Furthermore,' or 'Additionally,' and ensure that your referencing (e.g., 'those two counters') is always clear to the reader.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for a basic description of the changes. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as referring to the college cafe as a 'hotel' in the final paragraph. Additionally, the phrasing 'The two maps illustrates' contains a subject-verb agreement error. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise vocabulary related to spatial changes, such as 'transformed,' 'relocated,' 'extended,' or 'converted,' and ensure you are using the correct terminology for the features shown in the diagrams.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains several grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. There are consistent subject-verb agreement issues, such as 'The two maps illustrates' (should be 'illustrate'), 'serving area... have been' (should be 'has been'), and 'Two new door are' (should be 'doors are'). While there is an attempt to use passive voice, which is appropriate for this task, the frequent errors in basic agreement and pluralization limit the score. To improve, focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and plural forms, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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