Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-10
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 illustrates how the modification and innovations take place after renovation of college cafe.
Overall, it is crystal clear that there is more seating arrangements are setup as now there is plenty of space for students. Moreover for the health of the students new salad bar is constructed and hot meals are provided to them.
In the plans of cafe before redesign, there was not any type of outdoor seating arrangement but in new plan there is barbecue attraction added to outer side of cafe with large seating space. At the place of staff dinning rooms new services was introduced like take away meal and coffee bar in each room. In the front off the kitchen here was an area for all drinks and foods which was later converted into only Hot meals section.
In side the cafe for the waste bin is interchanged with recycling bins . According to health conscious, new salad bar was constructed in the area of tables and chairs.
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
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, such as the addition of the salad bar, the outdoor seating area, and the changes to the kitchen and service counters. However, the description is somewhat disorganized and lacks a clear, analytical approach to comparing the two plans. For instance, the mention of 'staff dining rooms' is confusing as the source image does not clearly label these as such, leading to inaccuracies in reporting. While the main trends are identified, the lack of precise spatial referencing makes it difficult for the reader to follow the changes clearly. To improve, focus on grouping features logically (e.g., internal changes vs. external additions) and ensure that all descriptions are directly supported by the provided visual evidence.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression between ideas is often weak. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally misused, such as the phrase 'According to health conscious,' which does not function as a logical transition. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when describing the location of new features like the 'take away meal' area. While the overall structure is present, the flow of information is disjointed, and the relationships between the 'before' and 'after' states are not always explicitly linked, which hinders the overall coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'modification and innovations take place' and 'barbecue attraction.' The phrase 'at the place of staff dinning rooms' is also imprecise. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'renovation' and 'recycling bins,' the overall range is limited, and the errors in collocation occasionally distract the reader. Expanding the range of descriptive verbs and nouns related to spatial changes would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the clarity of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('there is more seating arrangements are setup') and incorrect preposition usage ('In the front off the kitchen here was'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be a beneficial next step.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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