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 given architechual plans illustrate the cafe transformation before and after its modifications.
Overall, the kitchen area remains almost identical in position in both plans. The contrasting feature of changes show that the cafe is now developed in the terms of dining, food and seating facilities.
The kitchen has been placed in same location where the serving area facility has been replaced with hot meals in bottom of kitchen. There are significant changes has been done in staff dining rooms. Both has been converted with takeaway and coffee bar facilities.
The toilets remained in same area while bins has been replaced with recycling bins. Furthermore, a salad bar has been allocated at the west south of the cafe. The most noticeable changes has been seen at the outer of cafe where seating chairs along with tables kept in a well manner way with a barbeque placed in west side.The entrance features are now been fully develped
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 student successfully addresses the main features of the transformation shown in the two maps. An overall trend is provided, noting that the kitchen remains largely unchanged while dining and seating facilities have been significantly expanded. Key features, such as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a takeaway and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, and the introduction of outdoor seating with a barbecue, are correctly identified and compared. While the detail is slightly general in places and contains a minor locational imprecision (describing the salad bar as 'west south'), the response covers all parts of the visual data well and fulfills the task requirements effectively, aligning closely with Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing specific layout changes, and an overview. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall,' 'Furthermore,' and 'The most noticeable changes,' though some referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical (e.g., 'The contrasting feature of changes show that...'). Paragraphing is utilised, although the grouping of sentences could be smoother to enhance the overall progression. The logical flow is generally clear, allowing the reader to follow the spatial comparisons without difficulty.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate to the task, using terms such as 'transformation,' 'modifications,' 'facilities,' and 'recycling bins.' However, there are notable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'architechual' instead of 'architectural,' 'developed in the terms of,' and 'in a well manner way.' Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success, and some expressions lack natural collocation. Despite these inaccuracies, communication is not impeded, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
A mix of simple and complex sentence forms is attempted throughout the response (e.g., 'The kitchen has been placed in same location where the serving area facility has been replaced...'). However, grammatical errors are frequent, including article omissions ('in same location'), subject-verb agreement issues ('There are significant changes has been done', 'Both has been converted', 'bins has been replaced'), and awkward passive constructions ('The entrance features are now been fully develped'). These errors occasionally cause mild strain for the reader, though the core meaning remains clear.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.