Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-26
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 given below illustrates the college cafe before renovation and now.
Overall, the cafe now has been expanded and more sections have been introduced. While in some areas, there have no considerable changes and remained the same.
The kitchen remained at its own place in both the maps, but serving area has been converted into Hot meals. Furthermore, the toilets, tables and chairs are at their respective old sites with no changes.
The staff dining counter is replaced with takeaway food and coffee bar. Moreover, the ordinary bin is converted into recycling type.
In addition to these changes, some other facilities have been made in the new plan like the introduction of salad counter, barbecue and outside seating area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student covers several key features of the changes shown in the plans, noting the transformation of the serving area into hot meals, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway food and coffee bar facilities, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, the response falls significantly short of the word count requirement, containing only 120 words compared to the minimum of 150 words. Furthermore, the overview is rather basic and lacks depth in comparing the overall layout transformation. Consequently, the task achievement is limited by the strict length penalty and under-development of certain comparative features.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response is organized into four short paragraphs, attempting a logical progression from an introductory overview to specific structural changes and additions. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', and 'In addition to these changes' are used to connect ideas. However, paragraphing is somewhat disjointed due to the brief nature of the text, and referencing is occasionally basic. The logical flow is maintained throughout, but the lack of substantial development prevents a higher score.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate vocabulary range suitable for describing a map comparison, including terms like 'renovation', 'expanded', 'facilities', and 'recycling type'. There are some awkward phrasings or word choices, such as 'at its own place' and 'recycling type' instead of 'recycling bins'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the range of vocabulary remains somewhat limited and repetitive, preventing the response from reaching Band 7.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'While in some areas, there have no considerable changes and remained the same' (which contains a grammatical error: 'there have no'). Other minor errors occur, such as tense inconsistencies ('illustrates' versus past tense descriptions). While some sentences are error-free, the overall control of grammar shows recurring inaccuracies that slightly impede clarity, aligning with Band 5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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