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 maps illustrate college's cafe before and after redesigned.
Overall, the cafe has L-shaped layout.However, five changes occured in cafe redesigned. The serving area converted to hot meals, staff dining rooms spilts in to food take away and coffee bar sections ,on the other-hand salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating arrangement were newly added, while toilets, kitchen, table and chairs arrangement remain unchanged. In addition, the bins area converted to recycling bins.
The cafe before and after redesigned had kitchen at the north-west corner.The serving section turned into hot meals. However, staff dining rooms changed to take away food and coffee bar respectively.Whereas, tables and chairs remain in the middle of the cafe , toilet section and bins dumping area remains unchanged with ocuppied the south-east portion of the cafe.
Aditionally, salad bar were introduced and located at western part of the cafe, while the barbecue section located at south-west corner of the cafe with outdoor seating arranged opposite to it.
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 task, identifying the key changes such as the conversion of the serving area and the addition of new facilities. However, the description is somewhat repetitive, and the overview is not fully developed. While the main features are highlighted, the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states could be more precise. The report lacks a clear, cohesive summary of the overall transformation, and some details, such as the 'L-shaped layout', are mentioned but not effectively integrated into the analysis of the changes. To improve, ensure that all key features are clearly contrasted and that the overview provides a more comprehensive summary of the significant trends.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as the awkward transition 'on the other-hand' and the repetitive use of 'However' and 'Whereas'. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly between the second and third paragraphs. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences is hindered by grammatical errors that disrupt the logical development of the description. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help create a smoother, more professional flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite limited and repetitive. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'bins dumping area' and 'staff dining rooms spilts in to'. The range of vocabulary is restricted to basic descriptive terms, and there is little attempt to use more sophisticated or precise language to describe the spatial changes. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more varied and accurate collocations related to maps and diagrams, such as 'transformed into', 'relocated', or 'extended'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include missing articles ('the cafe', 'the kitchen'), subject-verb agreement errors ('salad bar were introduced', 'staff dining rooms spilts'), and incorrect verb tenses ('before and after redesigned'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and periods. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader and indicate a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for articles and verb forms will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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