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 plan illustrate a college before it was redesigned and how it looks now. The two structures are present giving us information about the infrastructure of a college cafe.
There were some modifications in the model. For instance, placement of kitchen, tables and chairs in addition to it toilets were at the same location whereas new areas including hot meals, salad bar recycling bin moreover barbecue area with outdoor seating were developed. However, staff dining room is replaced by take-away food and coffee bar.
If we talk about the diagram before the construction of a cafe, in the north-western corner a kitchen was located with a serving area where foods and drinks were available. In the middle, staff dining rooms were present in the downward direction to it tables and chairs were placed where people sat and relaxed additionally next to it, a bin was positioned below it toilets were situated.
The infrastructure of the cafe today consists of hot meals area at the placement of serving area also beneath to it salad bar has been established as well as lower to it barbecue area has been constructed along with outdoor seating to accommodate customers. On the other hand, take-away food accompanied by coffee bar has been built. Bin has been upgraded to a recycling bin.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two plans. The introduction accurately outlines what the diagrams show, and the body paragraphs cover the key spatial changes, such as the replacement of the staff dining rooms with a take-away food counter and coffee bar, the addition of the salad bar, barbecue area, and outdoor seating, and the persistence of the kitchen and toilets. While the overview is slightly fragmented across paragraphs rather than consolidated into a single distinct paragraph, the key changes are highlighted effectively and supported by the visual data. The response meets the core requirements of academic task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently, with a clear progression from general changes to specific layout details of the past and present. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, general overview, past layout, and current layout. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly phrased, as seen in expressions like "in addition to it toilets were at the same location" and "beneath to it salad bar has been established as well as lower to it". Referencing and transitional links occasionally feel strained or repetitive, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band in cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and physical changes, including terms such as "infrastructure," "modifications," "recyling bin," and "accommodate customers." However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors, such as writing "The plan illustrate" instead of "illustrates," and awkward spatial descriptions like "in the downward direction to it" and "lower to it." Less common items are attempted, but inaccuracies in collocation and preposition usage restrict the lexical score to a solid band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are frequently marred by grammatical errors or awkward phrasing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ("The plan illustrate") and clumsy prepositional attachments in complex clauses ("beneath to it salad bar has been established as well as lower to it"). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor errors in grammar and prepositions detract from sentence accuracy, placing the performance firmly in the band 6 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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