Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12
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 diagram illustrates cafe before and after redesign. The entrance is the same followed by the location of recycling bins and toliets on the left side of the entrance.
Straight to the entrance there is a slight change. The staff dining rooms are now divided into take away food and in addition a coffee bar is installed whereas the position of the tables and chairs remains the same. The serving area left to the entrance right after staff dining room contains hot meals unlike the initial design before, where it was a serving area.
Straight to the end of entrance a salad bar is installed which was not there in the initial design. A new development can be seen after the redesign as outdoor seating and barbecue is established which can be access from two different sides.
Overall, the new design has some improvements with having more facilities updated according to the need.
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 student successfully highlights the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign, making relevant comparisons across the two diagrams. Key modifications, such as the division of staff dining rooms into take-away food and a coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, and the introduction of outdoor seating and a barbecue, are clearly reported. However, some descriptions of locations are slightly confusing, such as 'Straight to the end of entrance', which lacks complete clarity regarding spatial relationships. Nevertheless, the overall response covers all parts of the task effectively, presenting a clear picture of the spatial changes that occurred. Therefore, this performance meets the criteria for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 6 for task fulfillment and clarity.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text presents a coherent overall arrangement of information, moving systematically through the layout from the entrance onwards. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division could be improved to better group related spatial areas, as the current structure results in a somewhat blocky layout. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as 'Straight to the entrance' and 'Straight to the end of entrance'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to track precise locations without looking closely at the diagram. Overall, the logic of progression is present, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to the visual, such as 'redesign', 'recycling bins', 'coffee bar', 'serving area', and 'outdoor seating'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but these are accompanied by lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, for instance, 'toliets' (spelling error) and 'can be access' (grammatical error affecting word form). Word choice is generally sufficient to communicate the main points, but collocation and precision fall short of higher bands. These errors do not seriously impede communication, placing the vocabulary firmly in the Band 6 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'A new development can be seen after the redesign as outdoor seating and barbecue is established which can be access from two different sides.' There are several notable grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'outdoor seating and barbecue is' and missing prepositions or articles ('illustrates cafe', 'can be access'). Punctuation is basic. While these errors occur regularly, the meaning remains mostly clear and communication is not severely hindered, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor for grammar.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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