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 layout show the college canteen before it was renovated and how it looks after refurbisment.
Overall, the major change is in the outdoor, a large seating area is added with a batbecue on the left of it. Meanwhile, at the place of staff dining rooms, new take away food and coffee bar are made. Whereas, kitchen and toilets are not changed.
Before redesign cafe, a large tables and chairs seating area in there on the down-right corner their was a toilets and on the right side their was a small bin. Their was a staff dinning rooms in the north side of the seating area and on the up side of it their was a kitchen. In the kitchen, serving area was present to sever all kind of food and drinks.
After renovation the cafe, a large outdoor seating area is made with a barbbecue. While, at the place of staff dining room, take away food and coffe bar are made. On the left side of tables and chairs a salad bar is opened and the bin is changed in recycling bin, Hot meals is replaced by serving area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the addition of the outdoor seating area, the barbecue, and the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a takeaway and coffee bar. However, the description is somewhat repetitive and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While the main changes are identified, the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states could be more effectively integrated. The report would benefit from a more structured approach to grouping the changes, rather than listing them in a way that feels slightly disjointed. Overall, the response addresses the prompt but lacks the depth of analysis required for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the use of 'Whereas' and 'Meanwhile' at the start of sentences is sometimes awkward. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'in there on the down-right corner', which makes the spatial description difficult to follow. While there is an overall logical progression from the general overview to specific details, the flow between sentences is frequently interrupted by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, which limits the effectiveness of the cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several spelling errors, such as 'batbecue', 'barbbecue', 'coffe', and 'sever' (instead of 'serve'). The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on basic descriptors like 'made' or 'changed'. To improve, you should aim to use more precise verbs related to layout changes, such as 'transformed', 'converted', 'relocated', or 'installed'. The repetition of basic terms like 'made' and 'area' suggests a limited range, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band in this criterion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a high frequency of grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement ('The layout show', 'a large tables and chairs seating area... there was'), article usage ('in the outdoor'), and prepositions. Sentence structures are generally simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors, such as 'Before redesign cafe, a large tables and chairs seating area in there'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that articles are used correctly before nouns.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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