Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-24
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 diagrams illustrate the layout of a college cafe before and after the structural modification. Overall, before renovation the cafe was providing general serving area but now it has many serving counters. Initially it has only indoor sitting for its customers but now it has also introduced outdoor seating with more menu options. In the previous layout,the kitchen was in top left corner. And in front of kitchen, general serving area was located to distribute all the food and drinks.In the centre of cafe, the indoor seating area was the only point for all the customers to enjoy their delicious food. Two staff dining rooms at the front of indoor seating area were designed for the staff. In the bottom right corner, cafe had restrooms.A single bin was at centre of right side. After redesigning, location of kitchen and restrooms is not changed.. But the single serving area is renovated to convert into multiple serving counters distributing specific food from each bars.Staff dining rooms are removed. Then cafe introduced outdoor seating areas and barbecue in the bottom left outside the cafe. In right side of cafe, more bins are placed to collect garbage.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response successfully covers all parts of the task by comparing the two plans of the college cafe before and after the redesign. The student provides a clear overall summary highlighting the main changes, such as the introduction of outdoor seating, a barbecue area, and multiple food counters. Key features from the visual data are reported accurately, including the kitchen remaining in the upper-left corner, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway food and coffee bar sections, and the addition of recycling bins and a salad bar. The selection of features is relevant and supported by the diagrams, fitting the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile well.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction containing an overview, followed by separate body paragraphs for the previous layout and the current layout. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as "In the previous layout," "After redesigning," and "Then." However, some referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical or abrupt, such as starting sentences with conjunctions or awkward phrasing ("And in front of kitchen..."). Paragraphing is functional, contributing to a coherent overall arrangement that meets the requirements for a Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate references to architectural and spatial features such as "layout," "serving counters," "outdoor seating area," and "restrooms." The student attempts some less common vocabulary items like "structural modification" and "redesigning," though there are noticeable word-choice inaccuracies and unnatural collocations, such as "was providing general serving area," "distributing specific food from each bars," and "in bottom left outside." Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary limitations and minor slips prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though simple structures tend to dominate. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing choices, including missing articles ("in top left corner," "in centre of cafe"), incorrect verb tenses or aspects ("Initially it has only indoor sitting"), and punctuation errors (missing spaces after commas and periods). Despite these errors, meaning is generally clear and communication is not severely impeded, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors for grammatical accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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