Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01
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 two plans illustrate how a college cafe looked before its redesign and how it looks at present.
Cafe layout before redesign. The kitchen and serving area was located at the north west side of the corner . Whereas, the toilets were situated at south east corner. However, the staff dinning room lies in the middle of Table and chairs area. While, the little bin stood in front of toilets.
Present Layout of cafe, The Kitchen and toilets are still situated at the same place. Whilst, serving area has been turned into Hot meals. The staff dinning room has been converted into two different section. One is for Take away food and other is Coffee bar. Whereas, The bin area has little been increased and it has been changed with recycling bins. However, the salad bar has been created in Tables and chairs area. However, the outdoor seating has been included at south with Barbecue section at south west.
Overall, the most significant transformations is including the outdoor seating area and Barbecue. Whereas, bin has been changed into Recycling bins and added the Salad bar. However, serving and staff area has been replaced for food.
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 redesign, such as the kitchen, serving area, and new additions like the outdoor seating and barbecue. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview. The summary provided at the end is repetitive and does not effectively synthesize the changes. Furthermore, the description of the layout is somewhat fragmented, with some areas under-described. To improve, ensure that the overview highlights the most significant trends (e.g., the expansion of food options and the addition of outdoor facilities) rather than just listing changes. The response addresses the task requirements but lacks the depth and professional tone expected for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is hindered by awkward transitions and repetitive sentence structures. The use of cohesive devices like 'whereas' and 'however' is frequent but often misused or placed incorrectly, making the text feel mechanical. For example, starting multiple sentences with 'However' in the third paragraph disrupts the flow. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'it has been changed with recycling bins', where the antecedent is ambiguous. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus rather than a list-like structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'staff dinning room' (spelling error: dining) and 'bin area has little been increased'. The student relies on basic descriptors and struggles with accurate collocations. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and the presence of word-choice errors limit the score. To reach a higher band, incorporate more precise terminology related to spatial descriptions and changes, such as 'relocated', 'transformed', 'expanded', or 'integrated'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader. Common issues include incorrect verb tenses ('was located', 'lies', 'stood'), missing articles ('at north west side'), and punctuation errors (e.g., unnecessary capitalization of 'Kitchen', 'Tables', 'Barbecue'). The use of prepositions is also inconsistent. While the student attempts complex sentences, the control over these structures is weak, leading to errors in subject-verb agreement and word order. Focusing on basic sentence accuracy and proofreading for capitalization and articles would significantly improve the clarity of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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