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 plans illustrate the college café before it was redesigned and how it looks now.
Overall, the old version of the college café had a kitchen and serving area on the left side of the café. The staff dining room was situated in the middle of the north, with tables and chairs adjacent to it, while a bin was located in the west of the café. The toilets were constructed in the corner of the west.
Today, the café has a kitchen in the same place as before, while the serving area has been converted into a hot-meals area, which is constructed in the northwest. In addition, the staff dining room has been converted into two segments, which are named the takeaway food area and coffee bar. The tables and chairs, recycling bin, and toilets remain in the same places as previously.
Furthermore, the present café has a salad bar in the west of the café and a barbecue spot in the same direction, but outdoors. An outdoor seating area has been organised for the first time in front of the café to enjoy the barbecue.
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 student successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the college cafe before and after its redesign. The main features are identified, such as the kitchen remaining in the upper-left corner, the conversion of staff dining rooms into a takeaway food area and coffee bar, and the addition of the salad bar, barbecue spot, and outdoor seating. However, there are a few minor spatial inaccuracies in the body paragraphs; for instance, the student states that the bin was located in the west of the cafe and the toilets were in the corner of the west, whereas the reference plan shows them on the eastern and bottom-right boundaries, respectively. Despite these minor orientation errors, the overview is clear and the overall progression of the redesign is adequately reported. This performance aligns with Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure. The introduction paraphrases the prompt effectively, the second paragraph outlines the past layout, and the subsequent paragraphs detail the current state. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the comparison, such as 'Overall', 'Today', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different temporal phases of the cafe. Cohesive relationships hold up reasonably well, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, employing terms such as 'redesigned', 'situated', 'converted', and 'segments'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices or collocations are slightly imprecise, such as 'constructed in the corner of the west' or 'a barbecue spot in the same direction, but outdoors'. Spelling is accurate throughout the text, and errors in word choice do not impede communication. The lexical control reflects Band 6.0 standards.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses ('which have been converted into two segments, which are named...') and passive constructions ('has been redesigned', 'has been organised'). There are some awkward phrasings and minor grammatical infelicities, such as placing the staff dining room 'in the middle of the north' rather than on the northern wall. Nevertheless, the grammatical errors do not impede communication and the punctuation is generally sound. This demonstrates the characteristics of Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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