Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28
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 map shows the plan of college cafe redisgned. The map show many changes in the after plan redesign but the noticeable change can be seen as outdoor seating.
Before redesign, the kitchen was in the north-west corner and there was a serving area where all food and drinks serves which was connected to the dining hall. There was a sitting are with tables and chairs in the center of the cafe. There was also two staff dining rooms connected with dining hall. The entrance and exit door was in the east corner of the cafe, beside there was a small bin area. There was also some space for toilets in the south east coner of the cafe.
After redesigning the cafe, the held its place where it was but the area where all food and drinks serves changed to hot meals area. The dining hall was as it is with tables and chairs but there is an edition of salad bar in west wall of the cafe. One of the staff dining rooms is now take away food and the second one is designed as coffee bar. The entrance and exit door were kept same as it was before and the bin area is converted to recycling bin area.A major change which can be seen is the outdoor seating with five tables and twenty six chairs with a live barbecue area.
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 response covers the main features of the two plans, highlighting key changes such as the transformation of the staff dining rooms into a takeaway and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, and the introduction of outdoor seating with a barbecue area. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reporting the data, such as stating that the kitchen 'held its place where it was but the area where all food and drinks serves changed to hot meals area', when the transcription shows the kitchen area itself and counter underwent specific relabelling. Furthermore, the mention of specific numbers of chairs ('twenty six chairs') goes beyond the visual data provided. Despite these minor issues, the student successfully contrasts the before and after layouts, fulfilling the core requirements of Academic Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, a body paragraph detailing the original layout, and a final body paragraph outlining the changes. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the comparison, such as 'Before redesign' and 'After redesigning the cafe'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or repetitive ('There was', 'There was also'). Paragraphing is generally appropriate, though the transition between ideas within sentences could be smoother to enhance the overall flow and logical progression of the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map, including terms like 'redesigned', 'noticeable change', 'serving area', 'recycling bin', and 'outdoor seating'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('redisgned' for redesigned, 'sitting are' for seating area, 'coner' for corner, 'edition' for addition) and occasional awkward word choices ('the held its place'). These lexical inaccuracies do not impede communication, but they limit the score to a Band 6, as the vocabulary control lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Before redesign, the kitchen was in the north-west corner and there was a serving area where all food and drinks serves which was connected to the dining hall.' Grammatical control is variable; there are several errors in verb forms and agreement, including 'drinks serves' instead of 'drinks were served' and 'door were kept' instead of 'doors were kept'. Punctuation is also occasionally weak. While these errors do not prevent the general meaning from being understood, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 7.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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