Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17
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 plans show a college cafe before redesign and cafe version today. They have been made plenty of changes since then, but kitchen and bin have left in the same place, only bins were redesigned into recycling bins. In the place where was counted as a serving are, now is the territory only for hot meals.
The salad bar has joined in the most left area, while staff dinning rooms were replaced, one by take away food, another with the coffee ar. In the old version, most of the space was taken by tables and chairs, and this tradition didn't change, as toilets and their territories.
There are the key factors of a cafe after the redesign, which are in outdoors. Seats were placed there, and in the left side, the barbecue got it's own area. Overall, the redesignation had positively affected to the students in college, although the staff dining rooms were fully removed.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the college cafe before and after the redesign, and makes relevant comparisons such as noting that the kitchen remains in the same place while the staff dining rooms have been replaced. Key changes, including the addition of the salad bar, outdoor seating, and barbecue area, are accurately captured. However, the overview is slightly weak and blends into the body paragraphs rather than being clearly stated. The conclusion ventures into speculation by judging that the redesign 'had positively affected to the students', which goes beyond merely reporting the visual data. Overall, the response successfully addresses the prompts and presents a clear picture of the two floor plans, fitting the criteria for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into three paragraphs, providing a coherent overall arrangement. Information is grouped reasonably well, moving from indoor changes to outdoor additions. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'while', 'in the old version', and 'overall', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or awkward (e.g., 'There are the key factors...'). Paragraphing is sufficient, but paragraph breaks could be better structured to separate indoor and outdoor modifications more distinctly. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional clumsy phrasing affects the flow of ideas. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors for logical organisation and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items related to architectural changes and features, such as 'redesigned', 'territory', 'relocated', and 'barbecue'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'cafe version today', 'has joined in the most left area', 'coffee ar' (bar), and 'positively affected to'. Spelling errors like 'dinning' instead of 'dining' also occur. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the general message, these persistent inaccuracies limit the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures with passive voice ('They have been made plenty of changes', 'were replaced') and subordinate clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is weak. There are several noticeable errors, including subject-verb agreement issues and awkward prepositions ('affected to the students', 'got it's own area', 'in outdoors'). Some sentences are structurally awkward or unidiomatic, which causes occasional difficulty for the reader. Because errors are frequent in complex structures even though communication remains intact, this corresponds to a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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