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 diagram illustrate a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall, it is clear that cafe have change some areas with the introduction of salad bar, barbecue, outdoor seating, take away food and coffee bar. The main development is that now students can sit outside and eat their food and drink.

Looking at the plans in more detail, we can see that serving area is now changed to hot meals, while staff dining rooms have been changed to take away food and coffee bar. Now students can pack their food to take away and can have a cup of coffee. Salad bar is also added to the west side of the cafe. Tables and chairs, Recycling bins and Toilets remains same as before.

On the other hand, the new facilities include barbecue where students can enjoy barbecue foods. There is also outdoor seating where student can enjoy their food by sitting. This includes five tables and twenty six chairs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student has adequately addressed the prompt by summarizing the main changes between the two plans of the college cafe. Key developments, such as the addition of the salad bar, outdoor seating, barbecue, and the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a take-away food counter and coffee bar, are clearly identified. An overview is present, and comparisons are made effectively. However, there are minor inaccuracies in the details, such as stating there are five tables and twenty-six chairs outdoors (which are not explicitly numbered in the prompt data), but the overall task is covered well enough to satisfy Band 6.0 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement and follows a logical progression, moving from an introductory overview to specific interior changes and finally exterior additions. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different features of the plans. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall,' 'Looking at the plans in more detail,' and 'On the other hand,' though some of the transitions and referencing are a bit basic or slightly mechanical. Overall, it achieves a coherent structure that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating words and phrases related to spatial changes and campus facilities, such as 'redesigned,' 'introduction,' 'conversion,' and 'facilities.' There are a few lexical inaccuracies and missing articles, such as 'cafe have change' instead of 'the cafe has changed,' and awkward phrasing like 'pack their food to take away.' However, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message clearly, placing it solidly in Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including introductory subordinate clauses ('Looking at the plans in more detail, we can see that...'). There are several noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The diagram illustrate', 'cafe have change', 'Toilets remains same') and missing articles ('Salad bar is also added'). Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to understand the intended meaning without difficulty.

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

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