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 cafe depicted in the first image has quite oldest look with traditional kitchen having a counter reserved for the servicing,two separate staff dining rooms with separate entrances having accommodation of only six ceter table each but no so spacious,then for the customers,table and chairs are placed in the rest of the area with toilet on the right side and a bin by its side too.While the today's cafe image showed a modern style cafe showing multiple rooms for multiple tasks making it more appealing and attractive for the customers, having outdoor seating area with a separate barbecue setup, along with indoor sitting facility, a proper takeaway food counter is present with a coffee bar on it other side,a separate salad bar is also here,while a proper recycling bin,a toilet and kitchen is there for more user ease but staff dining rooms are missing which should be present for staff satisfaction.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| 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 cafe plans, including the kitchen, seating, and new additions like the salad bar. However, the report is presented as a single, dense paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states. The analysis is somewhat descriptive rather than analytical, and the inclusion of personal opinion ('which should be present for staff satisfaction') is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report, which requires an objective summary of the data provided. To improve, ensure you structure the report with a clear overview and separate paragraphs for different features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response lacks paragraphing, which is a significant issue for Task 1. The text is essentially one long, run-on sentence with excessive use of commas and 'and'/'while' connectors. This makes the progression of ideas feel mechanical and repetitive. While there is a logical attempt to contrast the two plans, the lack of clear signposting and paragraph breaks hinders the overall flow. Using cohesive devices like 'In contrast,' 'Furthermore,' or 'Regarding the layout' would help organize the information more effectively and improve the readability of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate to convey the basic meaning but lacks the precision and variety expected for a higher band. Phrases like 'quite oldest look' are grammatically incorrect and unnatural. There is some attempt to use specific vocabulary related to the task, such as 'takeaway food counter' and 'outdoor seating area,' but the range is limited. The word choice is often repetitive, and there are errors in collocation, such as 'servicing' instead of 'service' and 'ceter table' (likely a typo for 'center table'). Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and nouns would enhance the quality of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response is characterized by a lack of sentence control. The entire text is essentially one long, complex sentence held together by commas, which leads to grammatical errors and confusion. There are frequent issues with article usage ('the today's cafe'), word order, and tense consistency. The lack of full stops or clear sentence boundaries makes it difficult to assess your ability to use complex structures accurately. To improve, focus on writing shorter, clearer sentences and ensure that each sentence has a clear subject and verb, avoiding the tendency to link every clause with a comma.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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