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 map illustrates the canteen cafe at present and how it looks in the past.
From the overall perspective, the cafe get extended to north side and some amenties added to sit and enjoy the outdoor amenties.
To begin with, the entrance remain on the same place and staff room took place of take away room and coffee bar. In addition, salad bar newly added at the west and bin area get extended to recycling bin.
Moreover, along with the outdoor seating area barbecue griller added. Althought kitchen stays at the same place, but the serving area where we used to put our drinks and food replaced with hot meals.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses the main features of both plans, noting key changes such as the addition of the salad bar, the barbecue, and the conversion of the staff room into a take-away area and coffee bar. However, it fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping at only 110 words. Furthermore, some details are slightly inaccurate or under-developed, such as stating the kitchen got extended to the north when the floor plan shows it remaining in the same place. To reach a higher band, the writer must ensure the word count requirement is fully met and provide a more fully developed overview with accurate reporting of spatial changes.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to contrast the past and present layouts. Basic cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'Moreover'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in abrupt transitions between sentences and unclear referencing in phrases like 'staff room took place of take away room'. Paragraphing is also under-utilised, as the text is compressed into a single brief body of text. Clearer paragraph division and smoother transitions would significantly improve the logical progression.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to the visual data, such as 'amenties' (amenities), 'salad bar', and 'barbecue griller'. However, there are noticeable word choice inaccuracies and spelling slips, such as 'canteen cafe' instead of college cafe, 'amenties' instead of amenities, and awkward phrasing like 'bin area get extended to recycling bin'. These lexical slips do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the score. To improve, the student should focus on precise word choice, accurate spelling, and natural collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'From the overall perspective, the cafe get extended to north side and some amenties added...'. There are, however, frequent grammatical errors, particularly missing articles ('to north side'), incorrect prepositions ('on the same place' instead of 'in the same place'), and tense inconsistencies ('how it looks in the past'). While these errors rarely completely obscure the meaning, they are persistent. Improving control over verb forms, articles, and prepositional usage will help elevate the grammatical score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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