Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-21
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 diagrams show a college cafe before and after the renovation of the cafe. The first diagram reveals the infrastructure of the cafe before renovation.
Looking the first diagram, it showed a kitchen along one side of the cafe. The kitchen was present outside the cafe hall. There was a serving area for food and drinks with the kitchen. The hall of the cafe was covered with tables and chairs. Two dining rooms were present in the hall specified for staff. At the opposite side in the other corner toilets were present there. A bin was also present with the wall of the cafe where the entrance doors were present.
Today the cafe is redesigned and new features are added in the cafe. The kitchen is same as before but the serving area was changed to hot meals. Inside the hall, the bin was upgraded to recycling bins. Opposite to the recycling bins, specified area for salad bar is present in the hall. The staff dining rooms are changed with coffee bar and take away food cabins. The hall has now two doors at the back side which opens to a outdoor seating for the barbecue. There is no change in the toilets area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response successfully addresses the task by summarising the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign. You have identified key changes, such as the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a coffee bar and take-away food area, the addition of a salad bar, and the introduction of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, the report lacks a clear overall summary or overview in the opening or closing paragraph, which is essential for a Band 7 or higher. Additionally, some descriptions are slightly repetitive or lack precise comparative language. To reach a higher band, make sure to highlight the most striking overall trends in an introductory overview.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a logical overall arrangement, moving clearly from the layout of the cafe before the renovation to its current state. Paragraphing is used to separate the two time periods, which helps the reader follow the description. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and relies heavily on simple transitional phrases like 'Looking the first diagram' and 'Today the cafe is redesigned'. Referencing is occasionally repetitive, and more sophisticated cohesive devices could be employed to link sentences and clauses more fluidly. Paragraphing could also be enhanced by introducing a dedicated overview paragraph.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to the visual data such as 'infrastructure', 'serving area', 'recycling bins', and 'outdoor seating'. However, there are instances of unnatural phrasing and word choice, such as 'Looking the first diagram' (instead of 'Looking at the first diagram') and 'cabins' to describe food areas. Less common lexical items are attempted, but accuracy is inconsistent. Spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication, placing this performance solidly at Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. You successfully employ past and present tenses to contrast the two time periods (e.g., 'The kitchen was present...' and 'Today the cafe is redesigned...'). However, grammatical errors persist, such as prepositions ('present with the wall', 'opens to a outdoor seating'), subject-verb agreement ('The kitchen is same'), and missing articles ('a outdoor seating'). Complex structures are occasionally attempted, but errors in grammar and punctuation mean that sentences are not consistently error-free.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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