Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14
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)
These maps illustrate the new design of the college cafe and provide several pieces of information about the modifications that would happen.
Overall, there are some additions in the new cafe design, such as Hot meals, Takeaway food, in addition to the coffee bar section. This also provides an entire area for outdoor seating, in addition to a barbecue and a salad bar.
In the previous cafe whole seating was inside the bar, and it eventually did not provide any takeaway section for those who could not able to sit and enjoy their meal. They solved this issue and provided a separate section for takeaway food. People usually go there and bring their meals home.
Several things remain the same, such as the Recycling bin, and the toilets are at there original places, in addition to the kitchen. In the present cafe, they removed the staff dining tables and built a Takeaway food section, also with a Coffee bar section. They also replaced the serving area with the Hot Meals section.
In outdoor seating, they provide two vertical tables and two horizontal tables, which is a great art.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully covers all parts of the task by outlining the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign, while making relevant comparisons. You identify key additions and alterations, such as the new outdoor seating area, the barbecue, the salad bar, and the takeaway food section. However, the overview is somewhat fragmented and placed at the beginning of the second paragraph rather than serving as a clear introductory summary. Furthermore, some descriptions lack precision in spatial relations, leading to an under-development of certain comparative features. Despite these minor limitations, the main trends and changes are adequately reported, satisfying the core requirements of an Academic Task 1 response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a logical overall arrangement, dividing information into paragraphs that handle general additions, past states, and unchanged features. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, sentences like 'They also replaced the serving area with the Hot Meals section' lack clear cohesive links to preceding statements, and the progression between paragraphs feels slightly disjointed. Cohesive devices such as 'in addition to' and 'such as' are used repetitively, and referencing pronouns like 'they' lack clear antecedents in places, making it occasionally challenging to follow the logical flow of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The lexical range is adequate for the task, attempting some less common vocabulary items such as 'modifications', 'recycling bin', and 'barbecue'. However, there are notable limitations and awkward word choices, including 'vertical tables and two horizontal tables' and 'great art', which sound unnatural in this context. Vocabulary errors like 'at there original places' (where 'there' is used instead of 'their') reflect lexical and spelling inaccuracies. While communication is not severely impeded, the precision and flexibility of language required for higher bands are not fully demonstrated throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('for those who could not able to sit') and coordinate clauses. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, with noticeable errors including 'who could not able to sit' (missing 'be'), 'whole seating was inside the bar' (unnatural phrasing), and punctuation lapses. There are frequent errors in verb forms, prepositions ('at there original places'), and sentence structures that detract from the overall accuracy, although they rarely impede the reader's basic understanding of the content.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.