Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-05

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 diagrams compare the layout change in a college cafe before and after renovation. Overall, the cafe has become more convenient and modern. Several new food serving areas were added, while the staff dining room was replaced by a takeaway food and coffee bar. In addition, outdoor seating, barbecue, and a recycling bin were introduced. Before the redesign, the kitchen was located in the top left corner, with one serving area and all food & drinks in front of it. After that design, the kitchen remained in the same place but the serving area were replaced by a hot meal. The two staff dining rooms were removed and change into a take away and coffee bar. Additionally a salad bar and a barbecue area were also added on the left side of t he cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While you have identified the main features of the redesign, such as the new food serving areas and the removal of the staff dining rooms, the description lacks sufficient detail and development. The overview is clear, but the body paragraphs are underdeveloped. To improve, you should provide a more comprehensive analysis of the spatial changes, such as the relocation of seating or the specific layout of the new facilities, to ensure the response is fully developed and meets the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Before the redesign', and 'Additionally'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more balanced. The transition between the 'before' and 'after' descriptions is clear, but the overall progression of information could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'renovation', 'layout', and 'convenient' used correctly. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are instances where word choice could be more precise, such as 'change into' instead of 'converted into' or 'replaced by a hot meal' which is slightly inaccurate as it refers to a serving area. To improve, try to incorporate more specific vocabulary related to describing changes, such as 'transformed', 'relocated', or 'expanded', to demonstrate a more flexible range of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that hinder clarity. For example, 'the serving area were replaced' should be 'the serving area was replaced', and 'change into a take away' should be 'were changed into a takeaway'. Additionally, there are minor punctuation and spacing errors, such as 't he'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall accuracy. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage will help improve your score in this area.

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

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