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The serving area inside the café have been replaced by Hot meals.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

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the new serving areas, the barbecue section, and the outdoor seating. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary of the most significant changes, which is a requirement for a Band 7 or higher. The description is somewhat fragmented, focusing on individual items rather than synthesizing the overall transformation of the space. While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the lack of a cohesive summary and the tendency to list features rather than compare them effectively limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is somewhat mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally repetitive (e.g., 'The... have been...'). While the information is generally easy to follow, the transition between the description of the interior changes and the exterior additions is abrupt. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved to better group related information, such as grouping all food-related changes together versus structural changes.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is some repetition of basic verbs like 'constructed' and 'added'. While the student uses some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'serving area', 'coffee bar', and 'recycle bin', the range is limited. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as referring to the college cafe as a 'hotel' in the final paragraph, which is inaccurate based on the prompt. To reach a higher band, the student should aim for more varied synonyms and precise descriptive language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement. For example, 'The two maps illustrates' should be 'illustrate', and 'The serving area... have been' should be 'has been'. Additionally, 'Two new door are also added' contains a pluralization error. While the student attempts some complex structures, these are often marred by these recurring errors. The majority of sentences are simple, and the lack of control over basic agreement and pluralization prevents a higher score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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