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 two designs of a Cafe which is renovated later on.
The main difference which improves the structure of the Cafe is the outdoor seating along with the barbeque section which improves the infrastructure of the Cafe and makes its ambiance more elegant.
By adding coffee and salad bar it improves the menu as well as the layout of the Cafe.
Before the redesign, they were not offering take away but now they have a proper section of the take away for food which helps in time management.
The are which specifies bins is in a good shape as it is now a proper recycling area for the bins which improves the quality of atmosphere.
The overall infrastructure is improved and well designed but there should be a proper counter for the payment and all which helps in managing the bills of customers.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to summarise the changes made to the college cafe, identifying key new features such as the outdoor seating, barbecue, coffee bar, salad bar, and recycling area. However, the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, standing at 149 words. Furthermore, the student includes personal commentary and suggestions in the final paragraph ("there should be a proper counter for the payment"), which is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 summary. The overview is also rather brief and lacks a comprehensive synthesis of the spatial transformations shown in the plans, resulting in an under-developed response.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text is structured into a series of short paragraphs, each focusing on a different aspect of the cafe's redesign. However, the progression of ideas lacks sophistication, and the use of cohesive devices is repetitive and mechanical, with phrases like "The main difference" and "By adding" used frequently to start sentences. Paragraphing is fragmented rather than logically managed for an effective overview and detailed body paragraphs. While the general meaning is discernible, the overall structural cohesion falls short of Band 6 standards due to the lack of seamless transitions and an overly list-like delivery of isolated points.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to infrastructure and layout such as "infrastructure," "ambiance," "renovated," and "recycling area." However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as "The are which specifies bins" (instead of "The area designated for bins") and "proper section of the take away for food." The range of vocabulary remains somewhat limited and repetitive, with frequent reuse of words like "cafe," "improve," and "section," which restricts the score to a Band 5.5 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ("which improves the infrastructure") and conditional or prepositional phrases. There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ("Before the redesign, they were not offering... but now they have") and prepositional errors ("The are which specifies bins"). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the density of minor structural errors means that only a minority of sentences are entirely error-free, placing this response firmly in the Band 5.5 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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