Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-17
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 design of college cafe before developing and after demonstrating the redesign.
Overall, several major changes can be seen though the map like provided outdoor seating, a barbecue and noticeable of adding two doors.
Initially, before the cafe was redesigned it had few section which include two rooms for staff dining, A kitchen along with a serving area which all type of foods and drinks were provided. In between of the cafe the tables and chairs are located. while the corner side of the cafe a toilet is available and in front of it a dustbin is also kept for unwanted objects.
While the cafe in today which was redeveloped can be seen that it has major enhances. A barbecue is constructed along with Five outdoor seating for everyone to wait for the order. As we see two doors are added which makes easy to enter and exit and the kitchen, toilet, serving area and the tables and chair section remain in the same area while the area of dustbin a little bit increased. Also in addition of a salad bar and a change can be seen in the staff room into a cafe bar and food take away.
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 cafe redesign, identifying key changes such as the addition of the barbecue, outdoor seating, and the transformation of the staff room. However, the overview is slightly weak; it lists features rather than synthesising the most significant trends, such as the expansion of customer-facing facilities. While the task is addressed, some descriptions are imprecise, such as 'noticeable of adding two doors' and 'area of dustbin a little bit increased'. To reach a higher band, ensure that comparisons are more analytical and that the overview highlights the overall shift in the cafe's layout and purpose more clearly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the 'before' state to the 'after' state. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally awkward, such as 'While the cafe in today which was redeveloped'. There are also issues with referencing; for example, 'the area of dustbin a little bit increased' lacks a clear connection to the previous mention of the dustbin. Paragraphing is present, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision required for a higher band. Phrases like 'major enhances' (instead of 'enhancements') and 'all type of foods' (instead of 'all types of food') indicate issues with word formation and collocation. The student relies on basic descriptive language, such as 'kept' and 'available', which does not fully capture the spatial nature of the task. To improve, the student should focus on using more specific terminology related to floor plans, such as 'relocated', 'partitioned', 'converted', or 'extended'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'The two maps illustrate the design of college cafe before developing' (missing articles and incorrect verb form) and 'In between of the cafe the tables and chairs are located' (awkward preposition usage). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for articles would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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