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 illustrates a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.
Overall, it is clear that the cafe has change some areas with the introduction of a 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 the serving area has now been changed to hot meals, while staff dining rooms have been changed to takeaway food and a coffee bar. Now students can pack their food to take away and can have a cup of coffee. A salad bar is also added to the west side of the cafe. Tables and chairs, recycling bins and toilets remain the same as before.
On the other hand, the new facilities include a barbecue where students can enjoy barbecue food. There is also outdoor seating where students can enjoy their food sitting. This includes five tables and twenty-six chairs.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign, providing clear comparisons. The overview captures the essence of the changes, such as the introduction of the salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating. Key features like the conversion of the serving area to hot meals and staff rooms to takeaway food and a coffee bar are accurately identified. However, there are minor issues with precision, such as counting specific table and chair numbers that are not explicitly numbered on the plan, and some over-simplifications in describing spatial relationships. Overall, the content is well-selected and fulfills the requirements of Academic Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, starting with an introductory sentence, followed by an overall summary, detailed body paragraphs about the indoor changes, and finally the new outdoor facilities. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the comparison, such as 'Looking at the plans in more detail', 'Now', and 'On the other hand'. While paragraphing is mostly logical, the division between the indoor and outdoor descriptions could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional mechanical transitions slightly affect the natural flow of the text.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate functional terms related to maps and changes, such as 'redesigned', 'introduction', 'development', and 'facilities'. The candidate attempts some less common vocabulary ('redevelopment', 'outdoor seating'), though there are occasional word choice and phrasing errors, such as 'has change some areas' instead of 'has changed in some areas' and 'pack their food to take away'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The candidate demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases ('Looking at the plans in more detail, we can see that...'). There are some noticeable grammatical errors, such as 'cafe has change' (tense/form error), 'A salad bar is also added' (minor tense slip), and 'enjoy their food sitting'. However, these errors do not impede communication, and punctuation is generally handled well. The majority of simple structures are accurate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.