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 plans illustrate the changes that took place in a college café between its old design and the present one.
Overall, the area underwent significant development, with staff dining rooms being replaced by two places are designed particulary for take away food and caffee bar. The most striking change is the addition of outdoor seating with barbecue on the west side of it.
In past, the café consisted mainly of tables and chairs, located to the south of the kitchen. There was no salad bar at this time. Furthermore, there were two staff dining rooms, placed at the north of the table and chairs area, and containing one table with six chairs for each.
By now, however, serving area for all food and drink had been replaced by hot meals space. In addition, a new outdoor seating had been constructed to the south of the inside tables and chairs, including four tables with twenty chairs. While toilets remained unchanged, the space was designed for bin is considerably increased for recycling bins.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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, including the addition of the outdoor seating and the changes to the serving area. However, the description of the layout is sometimes confusing, such as the reference to the 'north of the table and chairs area' which is not clearly linked to the visual data. While the main trends are identified, the report lacks a precise comparison of the total capacity or a clear spatial overview. The summary is adequate, but more focus on the specific locations of the new features would improve the clarity of the report.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'By now, however' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'west side of it', where the antecedent is ambiguous. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the 'before' and 'after' states, which helps the overall flow of the information.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with terms like 'significant development', 'striking change', and 'constructed'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'caffee bar' (spelling error) and 'space was designed for bin is considerably increased', which is awkward phrasing. The student attempts to use descriptive language, but the lack of precision in some areas limits the score. Improving collocations related to spatial descriptions would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'two places are designed particulary' (should be 'designed particularly'), 'In past' (should be 'In the past'), and 'a new outdoor seating' (uncountable noun). While these errors are noticeable, they do not generally impede communication. The use of passive voice is appropriate for a report of this nature, but more consistent control over articles and prepositions is needed to reach a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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