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 given graph provides an overview of cafe, with regards to redesigning the area to maximize its profitability.
Overall, it is evident that there were noticeable changes in the figures shown, a striking feature of the cafe is the introduction of outdoor seating, along outdoor seatings there is a dedicated place allocated for the barbecue. At a glance, it is also be seen that salad bar is created in the interior of cafe right next to the barbecue.
Looking first at the staff dining area which is redesigned to food takeaways and coffee bars which can result in more output, over the course of renovation two doors are added to create an accessible area from outdoor seating to interior.
Turning to serving area it is replaced by hot meals, by contrast recycling bin's size have exponentially increase. In comparison kitchen is kept at its original place. Taken as a whole, the data indicate that a lot of changes are made for customers resulting in more profit ratio for this entrepreneur.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the redesign, including the addition of outdoor seating, the barbecue area, and the salad bar. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the description of the staff dining area being replaced by 'food takeaways and coffee bars' is a bit vague, and the mention of 'profitability' and 'output' is speculative, as this information is not provided in the visual data. To reach a higher band, focus strictly on describing the physical changes shown in the diagrams rather than inferring the business motives behind them. The overview is present but could be more clearly defined as a summary of the most significant structural changes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Turning to serving area' and 'In comparison kitchen is kept'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the connection between the staff dining area and the new layout is a bit disjointed. While there is a logical progression from the general overview to specific areas of the cafe, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to the intended nouns.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision required for a higher band. Phrases like 'noticeable changes in the figures' are slightly inaccurate, as the task involves plans rather than statistical figures. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'profit ratio for this entrepreneur' and 'exponentially increase', which do not fit the context of describing a floor plan. While the student successfully uses terms like 'redesigned', 'allocated', and 'accessible', the range is somewhat limited, and the word choice occasionally feels unnatural or imprecise for an academic report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'it is also be seen that salad bar is created' (missing articles and incorrect passive voice), 'recycling bin's size have exponentially increase' (subject-verb agreement and tense error), and 'the given graph provides an overview of cafe' (missing article). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on article usage, subject-verb agreement, and ensuring that passive constructions are formed correctly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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