Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25
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 illustrates the renovation of a college cafe from how it looks before and now.
Overall, the layout of the floor remain the same but cafe today have been introduced with several designated counter according to a need. Outdoor seating is one of the change which catches overall highlight of the cafe.
Cafe before the redesign was having a decent kitchen with a window where they serve all food & drink. Just adjacent to the kitchen there is a large area consist of specific room for staff dining, common place with tables& chairs, toilet and bin.
Redesigned cafe is introduced with more specific counter like serving area is now a hot meals window. Staff dining rooms is replaced with two separate zone a coffee car and tale away food. salad bar is also added and recycling bins in cafeteria. The significant change is outdoor seating is developed with five benches and barbecue facility.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response covers all the key features of the two plans, successfully highlighting the main changes such as the replacement of staff dining rooms with a coffee bar and takeaway zone, the addition of a salad bar, and the new outdoor seating and barbecue area. The student provides a clear overview and adequate comparisons. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting specific details, such as stating the layout 'remain the same' while noting several structural changes. Overall, the task is addressed well, fulfilling the requirements of an Academic Task 1 summary.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response is structured into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, moving to an overview, and detailing specific changes in the subsequent body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Cafe before the redesign', and 'Redesigned cafe', which help guide the reader through the comparison. However, paragraphing could be slightly more refined, and some sentences lack smooth transitions. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional mechanical linking affects the overall flow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for describing a floor plan, including terms like 'renovation', 'designated counter', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are notable word-choice and spelling errors, such as 'plans illustrates' (illustrate), 'cafe today have been introduced' (has been introduced), 'coffee car' (bar), and 'tale away' (takeaway). These inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching a higher band, though the vocabulary remains adequate to communicate the intended message.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'The plans illustrates', 'layout... remain', 'cafe before the redesign was having', and 'is replaced'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical slips occur in almost every sentence, which places this performance firmly in the Band 5.0 range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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