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 two maps compare the layout of a college cafe before and after renovation works.

Overall, the cafe experienced substantial redevelopment, with major changes in dinning halls being replaced by commercial areas.

While other food options are added as well, along with new seating arrangements. However, few facilities continued to occupy their original positions.

Before the cafe was transformed, the central area was occupied by staff dining rooms, which converted to a take away food and a coffee bar.

To the north of the cafe the kitchen remained unchanged, while the serving area which served all foods and drinks is replaced by hot meals section only. There are few noticeable changes on the western side of the cafe as well including a salad bar and a barbecue section.

Additionally, a large outdoor seating arrangement has also been setup, after the cafe was redesigned.

Furthermore, ordinary bins are replaced by recycling bins with toilets remaining unchanged from their original positions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview of the changes, identifying the main trends such as the conversion of dining rooms and the addition of new facilities. However, the report is somewhat limited in its detail. For instance, the description of the western side mentions a 'salad bar' and 'barbecue section' as new, but it fails to clarify that these replaced the previous seating area. Additionally, the overview paragraph contains a grammatical error ('dinning halls being replaced') that slightly obscures the summary. While the main features are highlighted, the response lacks a more precise comparison of the spatial shifts, which prevents it from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing specific changes. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally,' 'Furthermore,' and 'While' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as the sentence starting with 'While other food options are added as well,' which is a sentence fragment. The progression of information is generally clear, but the connection between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother to ensure a more professional academic tone.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'substantial redevelopment,' 'renovation works,' and 'seating arrangements.' There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'dinning' (should be 'dining') and 'setup' (should be 'set up' as a verb phrase). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. The repetition of 'original positions' and 'remained unchanged' suggests a somewhat limited range of lexical items to describe spatial changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical inaccuracies that hinder the quality of the writing, such as 'which converted to a take away food' (should be 'which were converted into a takeaway area') and 'serving area which served all foods and drinks is replaced' (tense inconsistency; should be 'was replaced'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure in the second paragraph is fragmented. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score.

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

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