Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 given design plan descibes the changes occured in the college cafe and the way it looks after redesigning.

Overall, there are several changes made in cafe but the major change can be seen in the outdoor seating and barbecue has been introduced in the college cafe.

Provided that in old cafe at serving area both food and drinks used to be served which now provides hot meals only while salad bar is introduced in the new space and toilets remained unchanged. Further changes made in the staff dining rooms which is completely removed and two different sections placed named after take away counter and coffee bar. Moreover, there were nn changes made in the kitchen area and the bin area is also extended from the previous one which is named as recycling bins. Whereas, bins are replaced with the recycling bins and seperate sections are made for every item sold in the cafeteria.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of both plans, noting the key transformations such as the replacement of staff dining rooms with a coffee bar and take-away counter, the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating, and a barbecue area. An overview is provided, satisfying the basic requirements of Academic Task 1. However, some details are slightly confused or imprecise, such as the claim that the bin area was extended rather than simply being replaced by recycling facilities, and the overall summary could benefit from a more structured comparison of spatial changes. Nevertheless, all major areas of the campus cafe are addressed, supporting a Band 6.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a discernible overall arrangement, divided into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph detailing specific changes. However, the progression between sentences is sometimes mechanical and awkward, particularly with transitions like 'Provided that in old cafe' and 'Whereas, bins are replaced'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas lacks smooth logical flow. Referencing is occasionally unclear, which disrupts the natural progression of information. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes inaccurately or repetitively. This aligns with the Band 5.5 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate to describe the visual data, incorporating relevant terms like 'redesigned', 'outdoor seating', 'barbecue', 'salad bar', and 'take away counter'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('descibes', 'occured', 'seperate', 'nn') and awkward lexical choices ('staff dining rooms which is completely removed and two different sections placed named after'). The range is somewhat limited and lacks precision in places, leading to occasional strain for the reader. This corresponds to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('changes made in cafe', 'staff dining rooms which is completely removed'), missing prepositions, and awkward phrasing ('the way it looks after redesigning'). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are sometimes neglected. While meaning is generally conveyed despite the errors, the frequency of inaccuracies prevents the writing from reaching a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 5.0.

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

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