Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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 plans of a college cafe illustrates the differences between now and the before.

Overall, the places of kitchen and toilet are remained same but some new facilities were introduced in new plan. Some places are replaced by another facility. Cafe area is also enhanced for outside seating facility.

In old design, the kitchen and serving are of all kinds of food and drink were situated in the north-west corner of the cafe. There were two separate rooms for staff dining. The toilets were placed in the south-east corner of the cafe just near the dustbin. There was only one entry and exit door in old plan of cafe.

As per the new design, two extra doors were included and the outdoor seating area is now available in front of the barbecue. Take away food, coffee bar and salad bar have separate place for serving. The dustbin is replaced by the recycling bins. Tables and chairs are remained same compared to the old design.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the addition of new facilities and changes to the layout. However, the overview is somewhat simplistic and lacks a clear, analytical summary of the most significant changes. While the response identifies key areas like the kitchen and seating, it could be improved by grouping the information more logically to highlight the transformation (e.g., contrasting the functional changes versus the spatial changes). The description of the 'before' and 'after' is accurate, but the report would benefit from more precise comparative language to better highlight the extent of the modifications.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices, such as 'In old design' and 'As per the new design', to transition between sections. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally repetitive. The logical progression is generally sound, but the connection between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother to ensure a more cohesive overall structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the layout and changes effectively. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'outdoor seating area' and 'recycling bins'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'the places of kitchen and toilet are remained same' (should be 'remained the same'). To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate a wider variety of descriptive verbs and nouns related to spatial changes and facility upgrades.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and passive voice construction, such as 'are remained same' instead of 'remained the same' or 'were replaced'. Additionally, there are minor issues with articles and prepositions, such as 'in new plan' (should be 'in the new plan'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the accuracy of verb tenses and sentence construction 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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