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 maps compare a college canteen before and after renovations with addition of new amenities.
Overall, the cafeteria has been redesigned to cater more students by adding an outdoor seating area and changed the meals distribution from all-in-one serving area to multiple points like a coffee bar, salad bar and hot meals serving point to reduce crowding. Moreover, measures for recycling the garbage are added to the today's cafe.
Before the renovation, the cafe had two rooms for the staff separately just beside the kitchen with seating arrangement. All kinds of meals, beverages and food included, were served from the front of kitchen towards the main hall with cooking area at the back. The rest of the hall had tables and chairs with dustbins at south-east with toilets at the bottom right corner.
The new plan has converted the previous staff rooms to coffee bar and a takeaway food point. The kitchen only serves hot meals while the salad has its stall on to the east of the main hall. The most noticeable addition is the opening of outdoor area for both serving food and barbecue to the far east corner just beside the new gate on the south-west corner of the hall. The wste bin has been replaced with recycling bins. the kitchen remains thes=
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all key features of the task, including the redesign of the seating, the distribution of food services, and the addition of new facilities like the outdoor area. The overview is clear and highlights the main changes effectively. However, the response is incomplete, as it ends abruptly mid-sentence ('the kitchen remains thes='), which prevents a full summary of the final layout. Despite this, the main features are identified and compared well. To reach a higher band, ensure the conclusion is fully articulated and avoid leaving sentences unfinished, as this impacts the overall completeness of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that describe the 'before' and 'after' states. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Before the renovation', and 'The most noticeable addition' are used to guide the reader through the information. However, the abrupt ending of the text disrupts the flow and coherence of the final paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the lack of a finished sentence at the end makes the progression feel incomplete. Improving the transition between the final points would enhance the overall structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'amenities', 'redesigned', 'distribution', and 'noticeable addition' used correctly. There are some minor errors, such as 'cater more students' (should be 'cater to more students') and 'wste bin' (spelling error). The range is sufficient to convey the necessary information, but it lacks the more sophisticated, precise collocations that would characterize a higher band. Focusing on more varied descriptive language for spatial relationships would improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'changed the meals distribution' (should be 'changed the meal distribution') and 'measures for recycling the garbage are added to the today's cafe' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some slips, such as the lowercase 't' at the start of the final sentence. The incomplete final sentence is a significant issue that affects the grammatical integrity of the conclusion. Greater attention to proofreading and sentence completion is required.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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