Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11
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 picture illustrates a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now. Before when you enter the kitchen there was a serving area which include all food and drink after that there was staff dining room on the right side and except these room the all area have organised tables and chairs . At the end corner there was a toilets area and before that there was bin for trash . And after redesign the kitchen look more organised with individual food and drinks areas at the entrance to the kitchen there is a hot meal area and after entering there is a salad bar on the left side . And on the right side there is a take away food area and coffee bar . In the centre of kitchen the table and chairs are placed . After that there is a recycling bin placed and in the right corner below there is a toilet area. And also there is an outdoor seating and barbecue areas from where you can enter inside the kitchen from both left and right side .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| 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, identifying key changes such as the addition of the outdoor seating and the reorganization of the serving areas. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary of the most significant changes, which is essential for a high band score in Task 1. The description is somewhat repetitive and focuses on listing details rather than synthesizing the information. To improve, you should group related features together and provide a clear, concise summary of the overall transformation at the beginning or end of the report.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is written as a single block of text, which significantly hinders readability and logical progression. There is a lack of paragraphing to separate the 'before' and 'after' states. While some cohesive devices like 'before', 'after', and 'on the right side' are used, they are often repetitive and mechanical. The flow of information is somewhat disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the spatial layout of the cafe. Using clear paragraph breaks and a wider variety of linking words would greatly improve the structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is functional but limited and repetitive. You rely heavily on basic directional language such as 'on the right side' and 'at the end corner'. There is little attempt to use more precise vocabulary related to architectural changes or spatial descriptions. For example, instead of 'the kitchen look more organised', you could use 'the layout has been streamlined'. Additionally, there are some word choice issues, such as 'except these room', which should be 'apart from these areas'. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and nouns would enhance the quality of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'the all area have organised tables', 'there was bin for trash'). Sentence structures are mostly simple or repetitive, with limited use of complex sentences. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences that lack proper clause separation. To reach a higher band, focus on correcting basic errors in pluralization and articles, and practice combining simple sentences into more complex, varied structures using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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