Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 maps illustrate the layout of Cafe befor and after its redesign. they maps showe the different changes take took place in the previous desgin and how it looks now.

Overall, cafe after remodelling has undergone various changes and numerous facilities are now available for tourists. Before refurbishment only few faclilties were available but currently, new food facilities and outdoor seating has been introduced.

Before redesigning, Cafe was consist of on Kitchen on the top right corner with small serving area for all kind of food and drinks. There was a large central portion occupied with tables and chairs and had two dinning rooms for staff which was located on the upper side of this portion. Bin was placed on right side of the central place and toilets were on the right bottom of the central area

Currently, The kitchen is at a same place but serving area is replaced with hot meals. Tables and chairs are present in the central area but one of the staff dining room is converted to take away food and other one is replaced with coffee bar. An adddtional salad bar is constructed on the left side of the central area and also outdoor seating has been introduced with barbecue on the left side. Positions of bin and toilets remained unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign. There is a clear overview provided in the second paragraph noting the general changes, such as the introduction of new food facilities and outdoor seating. However, certain details are somewhat under-developed or inaccurately described. For instance, the student states that the kitchen was on the 'top right corner' before redesigning, whereas the visual data shows it in the upper-left section. Additionally, referring to the college students or staff as 'tourists' is inaccurate for a college context. While the key transformations—such as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a take-away food area and coffee bar, and the addition of a salad bar and outdoor seating—are mentioned, the lack of complete accuracy in spatial positioning keeps the response at this level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible introduction, overview, and body paragraphs detailing the before and after states. Information is generally grouped logically, with one paragraph dedicated to the past layout and another to the current layout. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, referencing is occasionally unclear, and transitional phrases between sentences lack smooth progression. Furthermore, paragraphing is basic, and mechanical cohesive devices like 'Before redesigning' and 'Currently' are over-used in a repetitive manner without a wider range of linking expressions. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to ensure smoother transitions between ideas and more precise referencing throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to the visual prompt, such as 'redesign', 'refurbishment', and 'remodelling'. However, there are noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors that affect precision, such as spelling 'befor', 'showe', 'desgin', 'faclilties', and 'adddtional'. Inappropriate word choices also appear, notably describing college users as 'tourists' and stating that the cafe 'was consist of' rather than 'consisted of'. Although these lexical shortcomings and typos do not severely impede overall communication, they prevent the score from reaching a higher band. Incorporating a wider variety of precise spatial and comparative vocabulary with correct spelling would elevate this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to vary sentence structures. However, there are frequent errors in grammar, articles, prepositions, and verb forms that indicate a limited range of control. Examples include missing articles ('cafe after remodelling' instead of 'the cafe after remodelling'), incorrect verb tenses ('they maps showe', 'Cafe was consist of'), and prepositional errors ('on Kitchen' instead of 'in the kitchen', 'right bottom' instead of 'bottom right'). Punctuation and capitalization errors are also present across the text. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, the frequency of basic grammatical slips keeps the writing firmly within this band. Greater accuracy in basic sentence construction and agreement is required for further progress.

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

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