Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-20
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 illustrate how a college cafe was redesigned and shows the present view.
Overall, there is a new outside seating area built as a barbecue zone. A new salad bar is created just adjacent to the barbecue zone but inside of the cafe. Staff dining rooms now replaced with take away food and coffee bar, also serving area of food replaced with hot meals and bin is now modernized into recycling bin.
Cafe before redesign was no outside barbecue zone but at present there is a barbecue zone with some seating arrangement. This was the only major change the cafe did. Inside of the cafe, new salad bar placed which is just adjacent to barbecue and kitchen area, previously it was an empty space. Staff dining rooms now used as take away food and coffee bar. Bins are replaced into recycling bin.
Inside the kitchen area no major changes had been done, only serving area now replaced with hot meals zone and rest of the cafe is same as previous.
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 redesign, such as the new barbecue area, the salad bar, and the changes to the serving and dining areas. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview. The summary provided is somewhat repetitive and fails to highlight the most significant transformations effectively. While the key changes are identified, the description of the 'before' and 'after' states is occasionally disjointed, and the comparison between the two plans could be more integrated. To improve, ensure that the overview synthesizes the information rather than just listing changes, and focus on providing a more cohesive comparison of the spatial layout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of cohesive devices is limited. For example, phrases like 'This was the only major change' feel slightly disconnected from the preceding description. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transition between the general overview and the specific details could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and referencing expressions to connect ideas more fluidly across the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the changes clearly. There are some attempts at using specific terminology, such as 'redesigned', 'adjacent', and 'modernized'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some awkward collocations, such as 'bins are replaced into recycling bin' (should be 'replaced with') and 'serving area of food replaced with hot meals'. Expanding the range of descriptive verbs and nouns related to spatial changes would enhance the precision of the report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is often missing) and verb tenses ('Staff dining rooms now replaced with' should be 'have been replaced with'). Additionally, there are issues with prepositions and pluralization, such as 'bins are replaced into'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage when describing past and present states will help improve the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.