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 show before and after design of a college cafe.
Cafe before redesign has 2 staff dining rooms, a kitchen and serving area near to it in the top left corner, toilets at the bottom right corner and finally a bin in between the entrance and toilets.
Cafe today has coffee bar and take away food rooms in place of staff dining rooms, a area dedicated to hot meals in place of serving area, a salad bar to the left of kitchen, recycling bin in place of a regular bin.
Cafe has extended and placed a barbecue in the outside area, it is located at bottom left. The whole bottom part outside the cafe has been made into outdoor seating with tables accommodating groups of 4 and 6 people.
The redesigned cafe is well suited for a range of customers, it has a dedicated place for coffee and another one for take away making it comfortable for people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have successfully identified the main features of the cafe redesign, including the replacement of staff dining rooms and the addition of outdoor seating. However, the response lacks an overview statement, which is a critical requirement for Task 1. An overview should summarize the most significant changes, such as the expansion of the cafe's footprint and the shift toward a more customer-focused, modern layout. Additionally, the final paragraph includes subjective commentary ('well suited for a range of customers') which is not required in a data-reporting task; you should focus strictly on describing the physical changes shown in the plans.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the description. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited. You rely heavily on simple lists and lack transition words to connect ideas between sentences (e.g., 'Cafe before redesign has...', 'Cafe today has...'). The progression of information is somewhat mechanical. To improve, use linking words such as 'whereas,' 'in contrast,' 'subsequently,' or 'additionally' to create a smoother flow between the 'before' and 'after' states. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as the subject is sometimes omitted at the start of sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You use repetitive phrasing such as 'in place of' and 'at the bottom right corner.' There is a lack of precise descriptive language needed to describe spatial changes. For instance, instead of saying 'Cafe has extended,' you could use more specific verbs like 'underwent an expansion' or 'was enlarged.' While your word choice is generally clear and does not impede communication, you need to incorporate a wider range of vocabulary related to layout, location, and transformation to reach a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response consists mostly of simple sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with article usage (e.g., 'has 2 staff dining rooms' should be 'has two staff dining rooms' or 'has a staff dining room'; 'a area' should be 'an area'). The omission of articles and prepositions makes the writing feel fragmented. To improve, you should practice using a mix of complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses or passive voice, which are essential for describing processes and changes in plans. Ensure you check for basic subject-verb agreement and article consistency.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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