Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-25
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)
This is a comparison of the structure of a college cafe before and after it was redesigned.
Earlier on it's structure was really simple and straightforward with areas including a kitchen,serving area,Staff rooms,toilets and a waste bin.This design was really minimal and had everything necessary required for a college cafe which was great for college students as it had everything they required.
After some adjustments and tweaks the college cafe had drastically changed from it's previous shape and design, many new things were introduced by the faculty and staff for the cafe such as they added a salad bar in the main hallway and replaced the dining rooms with blocks of take away food and a coffee bar.A tiny section of hot meals replaced the serving area and the remaining hallway was the same as before.
Some new things were also added in the cafe for instance a barbecue section along with an outdoor seating area which significantly increased the capacity of seating for the college students.
The college cafe after redesigning had a slightly better structure than before as it included some extra things which were missing before thus improving the quality of the structure as a whole.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to describe the changes but fails to provide a clear overview or a structured comparison. Instead of objectively reporting the features, the writing includes subjective commentary such as 'which was great for college students' and 'the college cafe after redesigning had a slightly better structure'. These personal opinions are inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report. Furthermore, the description of the layout is somewhat vague; for instance, it mentions 'many new things' without clearly contrasting the specific spatial changes between the two plans. To improve, focus on objective data reporting and ensure a clear summary of the main trends is provided in the introduction or overview.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between the 'before' and 'after' states is somewhat abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally repetitive (e.g., 'Some new things were also added'). The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'the remaining hallway was the same as before', which lacks a clear antecedent. The overall structure lacks a cohesive flow, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of the two plans systematically. Using a wider range of linking words and clearer paragraph transitions would improve the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally simple and repetitive. Phrases like 'new things', 'extra things', and 'better structure' are imprecise and lack the academic tone required for this task. There is an attempt to use some descriptive language, but it often falls into informal territory. The word choice is adequate for basic communication but lacks the precision and variety needed for a higher band score. To improve, incorporate more specific vocabulary related to spatial changes, such as 'relocated', 'expanded', 'transformed', 'converted', or 'partitioned', rather than relying on generic terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in punctuation and grammar. For example, there are missing spaces after commas and periods (e.g., 'Staff rooms,toilets and a waste bin.This design'). There are also issues with possessive apostrophes, such as 'it's structure' (should be 'its') and 'it's previous shape'. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic mechanics and grammar prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for punctuation and basic grammatical accuracy will significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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