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 plan illustrates the layout of college cafe before and currently it is looking.
There are some changes happened in the plans. Firstly, the serving area where all types of food and drink was offered is replaced by hot meals. Secondly, Staff dining rooms changed with take away food and coffee bar separately. Thirdly, bin is exchanged with recycling bins. And lastly, there are many new sections are included in college cafe which are salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating. There are more doors are added in college cafe as compared to before.
The design of college cafe before it was redesigned is kitchen are in the north-west corner, and the serving area was attached with it. Moreover, toilets and bin were in the south-east corner. Furthermore, staff dining room was in the east side, and tables and chairs was in the south side.
The design of the college cafe after it is redesigned. Kitchen is in the north-west corner, and hot meals is attached with it. Additionally, toilets and recycling bins is in south-east corner. Moreover, some new sections are added which are barbecue, salad bar, and outdoor seating.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the new sections like the salad bar and outdoor seating. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary of the most significant changes, which is a requirement for a Band 6 or higher. The information is presented as a list of changes rather than a cohesive summary. Furthermore, the description of the 'before' and 'after' states is somewhat repetitive, and the comparison between the two plans could be more integrated. To improve, you should group information logically and provide a clear introductory summary that highlights the overall transformation of the space.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response uses basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Moreover' to structure the points. However, the paragraphing is problematic; the text is divided into four short, disjointed paragraphs that do not follow a logical progression. The transition between the general changes and the specific layout descriptions is abrupt. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall flow is mechanical. To achieve a higher band, ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus and that ideas are linked more naturally rather than simply listing them with sequential markers.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'there are many new sections are included' and 'the design of college cafe' show limited range. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'bin is exchanged with recycling bins'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. Using more descriptive verbs and varied nouns related to architectural changes would improve the quality of the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage. Examples include 'kitchen are in the north-west corner', 'hot meals is attached', and 'toilets and recycling bins is in south-east corner'. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and there are errors in basic sentence construction, such as 'The plan illustrates the layout of college cafe before and currently it is looking.' These errors are noticeable and occasionally cause the reader to pause, 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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