Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-16

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 insulate a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall,it is clear that lots of new things were introduced in cafe. More food options and a new sitting was introduced outside the cafe.

To begin with, serving area(all food and drinks), while every meal was served at one place in old cafe. In new cafe there are different counters for serving different items, staff dinning rooms were replaced as take away food and coffe bar whereas a new salad bar is on the left corner and a new huge recycling bin in the right corner of corridor of cafe where tables and chairs were placed for students.

Probing further, huge outside seating was set up by college and a new barbecue section was just on the left side of new outdoor seating area. Kitchen remained same in both old and new college cafe plans.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the new serving counters, the outdoor seating, and the barbecue area. However, the description is somewhat disjointed and lacks a clear, professional overview of the spatial changes. While the kitchen is correctly identified as remaining unchanged, the report would benefit from a more structured comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states. Some details, such as the specific location of the recycling bin, are described in a way that is slightly difficult to follow, which limits the clarity of the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is often mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes awkward, such as the phrase 'Probing further' to start a paragraph, which is not appropriate for a descriptive report. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when describing the layout changes. The progression of ideas is present but lacks the smooth transitions required for a higher band. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that the spatial relationships between areas are described more clearly would enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'insulate' (likely meant 'illustrate') and 'staff dinning rooms' (dining). The phrase 'new sitting' should be 'seating'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more precise terminology for describing layout changes, such as 'transformed', 'relocated', 'expanded', or 'integrated', rather than repeating 'new' and 'introduced' multiple times.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'The plans insulate a college cafe' (incorrect verb choice), 'new sitting was introduced' (incorrect noun), and 'staff dinning rooms were replaced as take away food' (incorrect preposition/structure). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and periods. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct prepositional usage will help.

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

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