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 picture illustrates the map of a college cafe before and after it was redesigned to show their new changes.
Overall, the cafe had gone several changes after the redesign and now looks more up-to-date and elegant in design. As they have separate areas for various kind of activities such as separate bar for salad and barbeque point constructed.
Initially, in the past cafe there was a kitchen in the north-west corner of the kitchen with the serving area besides them. Consequently, in today's cafe the name was updated to Hot meals instead of serving area. In addition, previously there were only staff dinning rooms and separate tables and chairs in the center of the cafe was placed. However, now there were separate designated areas for take away food and a coffee bar, which is next to take away foods. Additionally there was a salad bar in the west side of the cafe and also the addition of separate barbeque point outside the cafe in the south-west corner. In addition, there was a separate outside seating. Furthermore, the area of the toilets and bin remain in same position even in the past and present cafe design.
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 provides a clear overview and identifies the main changes, such as the introduction of new food stations and the expansion of seating. However, the report lacks precision in describing the spatial layout. For instance, stating the kitchen was in the 'north-west corner of the kitchen' is redundant and confusing. While the main features are covered, the description of the 'before' state is slightly underdeveloped, and some details, such as the specific location of the coffee bar, could be more accurately mapped to the visual data. Overall, it addresses the prompt adequately but lacks the analytical depth required for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Initially', 'Consequently', and 'Additionally'. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For example, the sentence 'Consequently, in today's cafe the name was updated to Hot meals instead of serving area' is logically disjointed. Furthermore, the use of referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to track the spatial changes. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be more cohesive to improve the overall progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the changes to the cafe. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'designated areas' and 'redesigned'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'various kind of activities' (should be 'kinds') and 'staff dinning rooms' (should be 'dining'). The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the sophistication and precision in collocation that would be expected at a higher band level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Examples include 'the cafe had gone several changes' (should be 'undergone'), 'in the past cafe there was' (should be 'in the previous cafe'), and 'the area of the toilets and bin remain' (should be 'remained'). Tense usage is inconsistent, switching between past and present in ways that do not always align with the timeline of the redesign. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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