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 plan illustrates comparison about how changes have been made in cafe by redesigning.

Overall, indoor area has undergone significant changes such as, kitchen serving area and staff dining room, while new facilities also added.

Before redesign of cafe, the kitchen and food serving area was located at northern side. Main entrance was given at the eastern side of the cafe, leading directly to a foyer. The bin and rest room located at south-east location. However, in center of the cafe seating arrangement was given.

Since then, the facility has been witnessed extensive revolution. Former food and drink serving area replaced by hot meals counter. Staff dining room splits into two part and converted into food take away counter and coffee bar. In addition, previous bin has been turned into a recycling bins. Notably, seating arrangement has been expanded at outside of cafe. There was a salad bar and barbecue counter also installed at west side of cafe. In the south side two numbers door were installed to access outside seating area which has approximately 26 number of seating capacity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all key aspects of the task, successfully comparing the college cafe before and after the redesign. You provide a clear overview in the second paragraph mentioning that the indoor area underwent significant changes and new facilities were added. Key spatial transformations are described, such as the staff dining rooms being converted into a take away counter and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar and barbecue, and the creation of an outdoor seating area. However, some descriptions are slightly imprecise or awkward, such as 'two numbers door were installed' and the reference to '26 number of seating capacity' which is not explicitly stated in the source plan. Overall, the main features and comparisons are adequately reported, aligning well with a Band 6 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by the past layout and current layout. Cohesive devices are used to signal shifts in time and location, such as 'Before redesign of cafe', 'However', and 'Since then'. However, some cohesive links and referencing feel mechanical or abrupt. For instance, 'Since then, the facility has been witnessed extensive revolution' contains awkward phrasing and grammar. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response, but the logical progression between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother and more cohesive, fitting the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'redesigned', 'extensive revolution', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'illustrates comparison about how changes have been made in cafe' instead of 'illustrates the changes made to a cafe', and 'the facility has been witnessed extensive revolution' instead of 'the facility has undergone an extensive transformation'. There are also repetitive or unidiomatic phrases like 'seating arrangement was given'. These lexical inaccuracies and limitations place the response firmly at Band 5.5, which rounds to 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including prepositional phrases and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is weak with frequent errors that occasionally impede smooth reading. Examples include missing articles ('in cafe', 'at outside of cafe'), incorrect verb forms and voice ('has been witnessed extensive revolution', 'former food and drink serving area replaced by', 'was given'), and awkward noun phrase modifications ('two numbers door', '26 number of seating capacity'). While simple sentences are generally understandable, attempts at more complex structures frequently result in grammatical faults. This performance corresponds to a Band 5.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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