Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 map illustrare a change that have taken place in a cafe between the present and the past.

Overall, the cafe has undergone significant redevelopment,with some faciloties being added and some existing areas being rearranged or replaced.

The main changes was,staff dining room is now transformed into two sectors, one for delivery and another for coffee stand.On the left, a salad bar was added near the unchanged kitchen. Another major changes that the cafe extended was the garden area is now converted into an outdoor seating. A barbeque corner was also added in the outdoor area to compliment the cafe new settings.

While mostly the café has undergone reimagined some things remains unchanged,such as the toilets and the settings of the indoor dining areas remained the same. The toilets also remained unchanged innthe same area as the past. The only significant changes was shown in the trash bin, where it was show that the smaller bin was replaced bu a bigger recycling bin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response successfully covers all the key features of the college cafe before and after its redesign. You identify major changes such as the transformation of the staff dining room into a delivery area and coffee stand, the addition of a salad bar and outdoor seating, and the inclusion of a barbecue corner. You also note what remained unchanged, including the kitchen, toilets, and indoor dining areas, alongside the upgrade of the trash bin to a recycling bin. Comparisons are adequately made, and the overall impression of the cafe is captured well. However, the task could be enhanced by providing slightly more specific measurements or relative location details from the visual prompt. Despite minor descriptive limitations, all parts of the prompt are addressed satisfactorily, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, body paragraphs detailing the changes and constants, and concluding thoughts. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall,' 'On the left,' and 'While mostly the café has undergone reimagined.' However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'While mostly the café has undergone reimagined some things remains unchanged' lacks grammatical polish and fluency. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response, but the internal logical progression within paragraphs occasionally feels disjointed due to repetitive phrasing and minor organizational bumps. These features align closely with the criteria for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'redevelopment,' 'rearranged,' 'transformed,' and 'compliment.' However, there are notable spelling errors ('illustrare,' 'facoloties,' 'innthe') and awkward word choices or collocations ('the cafe new settings,' 'has undergone reimagined'). While these errors do not completely impede communication because the overall meaning can still be understood, they restrict the lexical score. To achieve a higher band, greater accuracy in spelling and more precise collocation when describing spatial changes are necessary. This level of vocabulary use and error frequency fits comfortably within Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses like 'While mostly the café has undergone reimagined some things remains unchanged.' However, grammar and punctuation control is inconsistent, featuring frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The map illustrare,' 'a change that have taken place,' 'The main changes was'), punctuation spacing errors (comma splices or missing spaces after commas in 'redevelopment,with'), and awkward tense usage. Some complex structures are faulty, which can cause occasional difficulty for the reader. These characteristics correspond directly to a Band 5.0 for grammatical range and accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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