Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22
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 plan of the cafe shows the modifications has been done in college cafe and how it looks now.
Overall, changes had done in seating arrangements such as in the kitchen area, in staff dining room as well as in bins. However, two numbers of new doors installed behind the toilets to access outside area.
In the Kitchen food and drink serving area replaced with hot meal counter. While staff dining room splits into two parts one as take away food counter and second is converted into the coffee bar. The bin in front of toilets replaced with recycling bins. However, tables and chairs arrangements inside the cafe area remained same as before.
Moreover, new facilities such as Salad bar and Barbecue were also arranged in the cafe. To expand the seating area, outdoor seating amenities arranged after that, approximately 26 number of students can seat outside the cafe. Two doors newly installed to access the outside seating area and Barbecue counter.
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 candidate successfully covers all the main features of the two plans, comparing the college cafe before and after its redesign. Key modifications such as the changes to the kitchen area, the staff dining rooms being converted into a take-away counter and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar and barbecue, and the introduction of outdoor seating are all reported. An overview is provided at the beginning, noting the general changes in seating and facilities. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in detail, such as stating changes occurred 'in the kitchen area' when the kitchen itself largely remained the same while the serving counter changed, and the specific count of 26 people is an estimation not directly supported by the visual data. Overall, the response addresses the prompt well, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, and is best placed at Band 6.0 due to some under-developed details and minor inaccuracies.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically into four paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then body paragraphs detailing specific structural changes. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'While', and 'Moreover', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or awkward (e.g., 'In the Kitchen food and drink serving area replaced with hot meal counter'). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different areas of the cafe being discussed. Referencing is generally clear, guiding the reader from the interior changes to the exterior additions. The organization is coherent overall, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common terms related to architectural plans and cafe features, such as 'modifications', 'arrangements', 'converted', and 'amenities'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'modifications has been done' instead of 'modifications that have been made', 'two numbers of new doors', and 'can seat outside' instead of 'can be seated' or 'can sit'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the lexical errors and unnatural collocations limit the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors in verb forms, voice, and subject-verb agreement, such as 'modifications has been done', 'changes had done', 'food and drink serving area replaced with' (missing passive auxiliary), and 'staff dining room splits' (should be plural rooms). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical errors recur throughout the text, occasionally causing minor strain for the reader. These features align well with the Band 5.5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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