Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-30

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 diagram shows us the difference in a college cafe before and after it was redesigned. At a glance, Today's cafe has a lot of outdoor seating arangements which was not resent prior to the redesiging.

To begin with, the kitchen has been in the same place even aftter the redesigning but the serving area has been converted to hot meals section only. Moreover, staff dining room has been transformed into a take away food and coffee bar section, there are recycing bins just outside the toilets and the indoor seating arrangement has not been changed even after the redesigning. Also a salad bar has been added just outside the kitchen and hot meals section and just outside to all these there is a barbecue section with outdoor seating arrangement.

To sum up, after the redesiging the cafe now has a seprated barbecue and salad section along with outdoor seating arrangements.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, such as the kitchen, serving area, and the addition of the barbecue and salad sections. However, the report lacks a clear overview of the most significant changes, such as the expansion of the cafe's footprint or the shift in layout. While the key features are identified, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks the analytical depth required for a higher band. The comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states is present, but the report would benefit from a more structured approach to grouping these changes logically rather than listing them sequentially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'To sum up' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by repetitive phrasing, such as the repeated use of 'after the redesigning'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the connection between the sentences within the second paragraph could be smoother. The use of referencing is clear, but the overall structure feels a bit basic, which limits the score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the cafe's features clearly. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'arangements', 'resent', 'redesiging', 'aftter', 'recycing', and 'seprated'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'section' and 'area'. To achieve a higher score, the student should aim for more precise terminology related to floor plans and spatial descriptions, while also ensuring greater accuracy in spelling.

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, such as 'Today's cafe has a lot of outdoor seating arangements which was not resent' (subject-verb agreement and tense issues) and 'just outside to all these' (prepositional error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. The student demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but the frequency of errors in basic grammar and spelling prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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

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