Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 figure illustrates the major difference between the cafe designs before and after the modification. The major changes include adding salad bar, hot meals bar, take away food bar, coffee bar, barbecue bar and outdoor seating. Cafe new design make it most attractive place for customers.

The addition of hot meal bar in new design was done at serving area for all food and drink in old design. The bin was replaced by recycling bins to separate the wastages accordingly.

Outdoor seating was also introduced in new design that was never before make it more attractive and can accommodate more customers then before. The customers can now enjoy the live barbecue with their friends and families.

The development of take away food bar and coffee bar had lessen the burden on the kitchen.

Noe the customers that use take away food can easily get their orders. The coffee bar also helpful for such customer that visit for theri coffee only, now they can enjoy coffee within short time availability.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the transformation well, identifying key changes such as the addition of the salad bar, coffee bar, take-away food area, barbecue, and outdoor seating. However, the summary lacks a clear, overarching overview highlighting the main trend or overall nature of the redesign, which is a key requirement for Academic Task 1. Furthermore, there are some speculative or overly detailed interpretations regarding customer behaviour and convenience that go beyond objective reporting of the visual data. Overall, it addresses the prompt adequately but falls short of fully developing a comprehensive comparative overview, placing it at band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text is divided into paragraphs, attempting to group related changes together. However, logical progression and paragraph structuring are somewhat faulty. The transition between sentences can feel abrupt, and cohesive devices are limited or misused at times (e.g., 'Noe the customers...'). Referencing is also occasionally unclear. While there is a recognisable overall arrangement, the lack of smooth linking words and cohesive control prevents the response from achieving a higher band, resulting in a score of 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary to describe the changes, using functional terms such as 'redesigned', 'modification', 'indoor/outdoor seating', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'wastages', 'hot meal bar', and spelling mistakes like 'Noe' instead of 'Now' and 'theri' instead of 'their'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and recurring inaccuracies, which places this criterion firmly at band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tense, article usage, and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Cafe new design make it...', 'that was never before make it...', 'had lessen the burden'). Punctuation and word forms also show frequent lapses. These errors occasionally disrupt the flow of reading and indicate a lack of reliable accuracy in complex structures, supporting a band score of 5.0.

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