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 how it looks now.
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 the 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 the 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 the 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, such as the new seating areas and the modifications to the serving and dining sections. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary of the most significant changes, which is a requirement for Band 6 and above. The information is presented in a somewhat fragmented way, and the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states is not fully integrated, making it difficult for the reader to grasp the overall transformation. To improve, ensure you include a clear introductory summary that highlights the most prominent changes observed between the two plans.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Furthermore' is mechanical and sometimes repetitive. Additionally, the structure is disjointed; the essay jumps between describing the changes and then describing the 'before' and 'after' layouts separately, which creates redundancy. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when referring to specific locations on the plan. Improving the flow by grouping related information—such as discussing the kitchen and serving areas together—would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'there are' and 'is in the' are used frequently, which limits the range of expression. There are also some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'bin is exchanged with recycling bins' (should be 'replaced by'). While the student successfully identifies specific areas like 'salad bar' and 'outdoor seating', the lack of varied descriptive language prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Using more precise verbs and varied nouns would help elevate the lexical quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage. For example, 'kitchen are in the north-west corner' should be 'the kitchen is', and 'hot meals is attached' should be 'hot meals are attached'. There is a limited range of complex sentence structures, and the existing sentences are often simple or contain errors that distract the reader. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of basic grammatical slips indicates a need for more careful proofreading and a focus on mastering singular/plural agreement and the use of articles.
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.