Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-04

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 illustrate the changes made to a college café before and after its redesign.

Overall, the café has undergone considerable changes, most notably the addition of outdoor seating, a barbecue area and several new food facilities. However, the kitchen and toilets have remained in the same locations.

Before redesigning, kitchen has a serving area which is demolished to the hot meals area. Moreover, staff dining rooms is now divided into two individual room: take away food, coffe bar. To the west of the cafe, salad bar is now added on the westren side of the cafe. Meanwhile, the central tables and chairs have remained largely unchanged. Recycling bins is now expanded and toilets are adjacent to the bins.

In the south of the college cafe, Outdoor seating is placed, and in the south-west side there is a barbecue, providing additional facilities for students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the score. While you have identified the main features of the redesign, such as the addition of outdoor seating and the barbecue area, the description of the changes is somewhat disjointed. You mention that the kitchen and toilets remained in the same location, but the description of the internal layout changes is confusing and lacks clarity. To improve, ensure you provide a more structured comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states, and ensure you meet the minimum length requirement to fully develop your points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the general flow. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the transition 'Moreover, staff dining rooms is now divided...' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to track the spatial changes described. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your sentences connect smoothly to one another to create a more cohesive narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have used some relevant vocabulary related to the task, such as 'redesign', 'facilities', and 'demolished'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'westren' (spelling) and 'coffe bar' (spelling). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and you rely on basic descriptors. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise terminology for describing spatial changes and layout modifications, and ensure you proofread for spelling errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, 'kitchen has a serving area which is demolished' lacks proper articles and tense consistency. Subject-verb agreement is also an issue, such as 'Recycling bins is now expanded' and 'staff dining rooms is now divided'. These errors are frequent enough to affect the overall readability. Focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and article usage before attempting more complex sentence structures.

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

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