Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-07
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 below illustrate the changes in a layout of a college cafe before redesigning with its current design.
Oveall, the positions of kitchen and toilet remained the same. however, serving area has been replaced by hot drinks. The staff dining rooms has been changed by take away food and coffee bar. Moreover, bin has been replaced with recycling bins and some outdoor seating has been added with barbecue in the current layout.
In the previous design and by comparing it with the current design, the place of kitchen is same. The position of toilets is also same. However, salad bar has been added to the left side of the layout. Moreover, outdoor seating with some chairs and tables has been added to the south of current layout where barbecue is served.
The prominent changes that has been made in the current design is that the staff dining rooms are replaced with take away food and a coffee bar. In the begining, there was a serving area where all foods and drinks used to served, has been replaced by hot meals only. The bin that was on the right side of cafe has been replaced with recycling bins.
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 cafe redesign, including the kitchen, toilets, and new additions like the salad bar and outdoor seating. However, the report is somewhat repetitive, as the same information is mentioned in both the overview and the body paragraphs. While the key changes are identified, the comparison could be more analytical. For instance, the description of the 'serving area' being replaced by 'hot meals' is slightly confusing, as the source image shows a transition from a general serving area to specific stations. To reach a higher band, ensure that information is grouped logically rather than repeating details across paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. The use of cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'However' is frequent but occasionally mechanical. There are also issues with referencing; for example, the phrase 'the place of kitchen is same' lacks a definite article, and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs feels repetitive rather than additive. Improving the flow between sentences and avoiding the restatement of the same facts would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the reader to understand the changes described. However, the range is limited and there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'the staff dining rooms has been changed by take away food' is unnatural; a better phrasing would be 'the staff dining area was converted into a takeaway food counter.' Additionally, there are minor errors such as 'In the begining' (spelling) and 'all foods and drinks used to served' (grammatical error in passive voice). Expanding the range of descriptive verbs would improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'positions of kitchen', 'bin has been replaced'), subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'The prominent changes that has been made'), and awkward passive constructions (e.g., 'used to served'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic article usage and ensuring consistent verb forms would help improve the accuracy of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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