Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-19
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)
Task: 1
The given map illustrates the college cafe in past and after how it is now after renovation. Evidently, the building undergoes through significant change.
It can be seen from the map that in north-eastern area of the cafe there were kitchen and serving area where all food and drink were served. Today the serving area is replaced by hot meals. In the north side there were staff dining rooms which are reconstructed as take away food and a coffee bar. On the eastern region there was ordinary bin but now there is recycling bins.
In the center of the cafe there was nothing except tables and chairs. While now in the west a salad bar is build. There were The outdoor seating arrangement was not available in the past which is now available in the Southern area of the cafe. A barbecue is now constructed in South-west area of the cafe. The toilets were located in the South-East region which are as it is now. Two new gates are also constructed connecting outdoor seating area.
Overall, many area of the cafe are
remain untouched like main gate, kitchen and toilets. while building chang sufficiently.
Task: 2
It is undeniable that nowadays people are more likely to get all the things on their phones. on that note few individuals believe that the in
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the cafe renovation, identifying key changes such as the addition of the salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating. However, the response is incomplete as it includes an unfinished 'Task 2' section, which is irrelevant to the task instructions. Furthermore, the overview is fragmented and poorly integrated into the final paragraph. While the main features are identified, the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states could be more analytical rather than just listing changes. The inclusion of irrelevant text significantly detracts from the overall task completion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow is disrupted by the inclusion of an unrelated 'Task 2' fragment at the end. Within the report, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical (e.g., 'It can be seen from the map', 'On the eastern region'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'While building chang sufficiently', which lacks a clear subject. The final paragraph is disjointed and fails to provide a cohesive summary of the information presented, making the overall progression of ideas feel somewhat disjointed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choices, such as 'building undergoes through significant change' (should be 'undergoes a significant change') and 'ordinary bin' (should be 'standard bins'). The student relies on basic descriptive language and struggles with accurate collocations. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and the errors in word choice are noticeable throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'salad bar is build' (should be 'built'), 'many area of the cafe are remain untouched' (should be 'many areas remain'), and 'building chang sufficiently' (should be 'the building has changed significantly'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization and sentence fragments. These errors are frequent and occasionally cause the reader some difficulty, though they do not completely impede communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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