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 plan illustrate a cafe changes that how looks like it before and now reorganised.

Overall,it is clear that the cafe underwent significant changes. The main development were the additional barbecue outdoor seating are and the salad bar. Also the staff dining rooms replaced by take way food and coffee bar. The serving area reorganised to hot meals. The bin is extended now. However, tables and chair, kitchen and toilets are remained unchanged.

Looking at the first, there was no barbecue section before redesign but now this is included with outdoor seating area opposite to the tables and chairs. In adjacent to, there is a new salad bar constructed. Moreover, the staff dining rooms demolished and replaced by two new section one is coffee bar and another is take away food. The another is serving arean converted to hot meals.

Turning to the other parts, the bin is extended cafe today. While, the kitchen and toilets still unchange

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The candidate addresses the prompt by identifying the main features of the cafe before and after the redesign, including the outdoor seating, barbecue area, salad bar, and changes to the serving and staff areas. An overview is successfully provided in the second paragraph. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward interpretations of the visual data, such as stating that 'the bin is extended now' (when recycling bins replaced the single bin) and omitting some specific details. Overall, the response covers the key changes adequately, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text is divided into logical paragraphs with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs discussing specific alterations. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the first', and 'Turning to the other parts'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes faulty or mechanical, such as 'The another is serving arean converted to hot meals' and 'While, the kitchen and toilets still unchange', which disrupt the smooth progression of ideas. Paragraphing is attempted appropriately, earning a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for describing a plan and pointing out changes, featuring terms like 'redesigned', 'demolished', 'reorganised', and 'barbecue'. However, there are numerous lexical and word-formation errors throughout the response, such as 'take way food' instead of 'takeaway food', 'serving arean' instead of 'serving area', and incorrect phrasing like 'how looks like it before'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited accuracy. This performance aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the writing is heavily impacted by grammatical and structural errors. Examples include 'The plan illustrate' (subject-verb agreement), 'changes that how looks like it before' (faulty relative clause and word order), and 'kitchen and toilets still unchange' (missing auxiliary/verb form). Punctuation errors also occur, such as comma splices ('Overall,it is clear'). Frequent grammatical errors cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting Band 5.0.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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