Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-28

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 given diagrams depict the changes occur in the college cafe from the past to the present. A glance at the diagrams reveals that the area undergoes several considerable developments, but the most noticeable changes include staff dining room that hat have been converted into take away food and coffee bar, while toilets, kitchen and seating area remained unchanged.

There was a staff dining room at the center of the map that has been changes to take away and coffee bar, While, just below to it the table and chairs remained at their original location. The bin to the east of the map has been developed into recycling bin. On the left bottom side of the map the toilets remained unchanged.

To the west of the map, the salad bar has been introduced. Furthermore, on the north-south corner serving room has been replaced by Hot meals, however kitchen to the north of it remained the same. Moreover, the south-east corner of the map barbecued has been constructed with the seating arrangements outside the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, identifying key changes such as the conversion of the staff dining room and the addition of the salad bar. However, the overview is slightly weak as it focuses heavily on specific details rather than summarizing the overall transformation. Some information is slightly inaccurate or confusing, such as the description of the 'north-south corner' and the mention of 'barbecued' (which should be 'a barbecue area'). While the main features are identified, the report lacks a clear, cohesive summary of the spatial changes, which prevents it from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the description. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is present but occasionally mechanical or misused, such as the awkward phrasing 'While, just below to it'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to visualize the exact layout changes. The transition between describing the central area and the peripheral areas could be smoother to improve the overall flow of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choice or incorrect terminology, such as 'changes occur' instead of 'changes that have occurred', and 'barbecued' instead of 'a barbecue area'. Additionally, the phrase 'left bottom side' is somewhat informal for an academic report. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the general meaning, the lack of sophisticated or precise terminology limits the score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'staff dining room that hat have been converted' (repetition/tense error), 'has been changes' (passive voice error), and 'below to it' (preposition error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from being considered error-free or highly controlled.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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