Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 shows the structure of the cafe. Before redesigning the cafe the kitchen and serving area for all food and drink was at the back. After that it had a big hall that would have tables and chairs while in the center there are two staff dining rooms. Moreover there is a space of bin at the very right side of the hall and toilets are at the right bottom of the plan. There is onle one gate for entry and exit.

However, today the hot meals have replaced the serving area along with kitchen at the back. While exiting the kitchen there is salad bar right in front of us with a hall for tables and chairs. Also the staff dining rooms have been replaced by take away food and coffee bar rooms. There is much bigger recycle bin space compared to the first one. Moreover toilets are at the same place of the plan. There is also two entry and exit sections each with outdoor seating area. Moreover, outside there is barbecue block as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main features of the two diagrams, comparing the layout before and after the redesign, but some parts are more fully developed than others. The writer successfully identifies the kitchen, the serving area changes, and the relocation of the dining and seating areas. However, some descriptions lack precision, such as stating that 'in the center there are two staff dining rooms' when they were located along the top wall, and some details are omitted or slightly imprecise, which keeps the response at this level. To reach a higher standard, the student should provide a clearer, more comprehensive overview of the principal changes and ensure all key features, such as the outdoor seating and barbecue areas, are integrated more accurately into a well-structured summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to organise the information logically by separating the past layout from the current layout using transition words like 'Before redesigning' and 'However, today'. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in repetitive phrasing and awkward transitions (e.g., 'Before that it had a big hall'). Paragraphing is used to distinguish the two time periods, but the internal flow of ideas lacks seamless progression. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun use in 'While exiting the kitchen there is salad bar right in front of us'. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that sentences link together smoothly without relying on basic sequential connectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing basic descriptions of the plan features such as 'kitchen', 'serving area', 'tables and chairs', and 'toilets'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'redesigning' and 'recycle bin space', but encounters inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, for instance, 'space of bin' and 'two entry and exit sections'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical range remains limited, occasionally causing minor awkwardness for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary suitable for describing architectural changes, such as 'layout', 'converted', 'relocated', and 'amenities'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, though attempts at complex structures are sometimes faulty. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally cause difficulty, such as missing articles ('there is salad bar'), incorrect prepositions ('at the right bottom', 'at the same place of the plan'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('There is also two entry and exit sections'). Punctuation is also sparse in places. To improve, the student needs to exercise better control over basic grammatical structures, ensure correct pluralisation and article usage, and construct more complex sentences accurately to reduce the frequency of errors.

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

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