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 top view of plan shows the comparison of how the college cafe looks after the redesign of the old one.
Overall, major modifications have been observed in seating arrangements, the bar facility, relocation of the food and drink serving area, and installation of new recycling bins.
New open seating area arranged outside of the cafe, by which seating capacity of the cafe was increased. In the kitchen, hot meals counter is added in the location of serving area. Staff dining room splits in two parts and relocated into the take away counter and coffee bar. However, a salad bar was added in front of kitchen area. Two doors were installed on the side of toilets to access outside seating. Barbecue arrangement is done in line with outside seating. Bin has been replaced to recycling bins. No changes have been observed in inside seating area.
Moreover, new modification of bars & barbecue attracts more students and approximately 26 number of student can easily sit outside and enjoy their meal.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The candidate has attempted to summarise the main features of the two maps comparing the college cafe before and after its redesign. While an overview is provided mentioning modifications in seating, the bar facility, and bins, some details are slightly inaccurate or over-extended. For instance, stating that "approximately 26 number of student can easily sit outside" introduces unnecessary specific counting not directly evident from standard layout interpretations without scaling. However, the core changes such as the addition of the salad bar, outdoor seating, barbecue, and the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a take away counter and coffee bar are correctly identified. The response fulfills the basic requirements of an Academic Task 1 summary, though development of comparisons could be more rigorous and precise.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The text exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division between the introduction, overview, body paragraphs, and concluding remark. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the redesign. However, the progression between sentences within paragraphs occasionally feels disjointed. For instance, the transition from discussing the kitchen changes to the staff dining rooms and salad bar relies on somewhat mechanical linking rather than smooth cohesive flow (e.g., beginning successive sentences with "New open seating...", "In the kitchen...", "Staff dining room..."). Referencing is generally clear, but overall cohesion suffers slightly from choppy sentence structures and abrupt shifts in focus.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to architectural or spatial changes such as "modifications", "relocation", "installation", and "converted" elements. There are, however, some awkward word choices and collocation errors, such as "Staff dining room splits in two parts and relocated into the take away counter" and "Bin has been replaced to recycling bins". Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary control lacks the precision and flexibility expected at higher bands. The attempt to use less common vocabulary is evident, though accompanied by noticeable inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including passive voice constructions (e.g., "major modifications have been observed", "Two doors were installed"). There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, such as "New open seating area arranged outside" (missing article and verb) and "Staff dining room splits in two parts and relocated" (tense and voice inconsistency). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but errors in preposition choice and verb forms persist, though they rarely impede overall communication of the data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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