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 plan illustrates a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now. I will discuss furthermore

To begin with, the major changes made in the cafe are introduction of salad bar, barbecue and outdoor sitting for the attraction of the customers.

Furthermore, staff dinning rooms have been renovated into taken away food and coffee bar. Whereas, kitchen and toilets remain the same after the modernisation. The size of a recycle bin has been increased due to the increase in the number of customers. Previously the cafe has serving area which now has been redesigned into hot meals.

To conclude this, cafe has become more modern with the time with the facilities of barbecue, salad bars, and hot meals for the better marketing purpose. Moreover, outdoor sitting is introduced for better accomodation for the customers and staff.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task only partially and falls short of the minimum length requirement, containing only 127 words (excluding copied prompt text). While the writer manages to identify some of the major changes—such as the addition of the salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating, as well as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a takeaway and coffee bar—the overview is underdeveloped. Metacommentary like 'I will discuss furthermore' is inappropriate for an academic report. To reach a higher band, the response must meet the word count requirement, present a clearer and more comprehensive overview of all main spatial changes, and maintain an objective tone without conversational fillers.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation with paragraphs attempting to structure the introduction, body, and conclusion, but overall progression is hindered by the brief length and abrupt transitions. Cohesive devices are somewhat mechanical or repetitive, such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude this'. Referencing and logical sequencing between sentences could be smoother to ensure a clearer overall flow. To improve cohesion, the writer should use a wider variety of linking words naturally and ensure that each paragraph builds logically upon the previous one without disjointed shifts in focus.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The lexical range is limited but minimally adequate for conveying basic changes. There are noticeable lexical and word-form errors that detract from the response, such as 'taken away food' instead of takeaway food, 'recycle bin' instead of recycling bins, and 'outdoor sitting' instead of outdoor seating. While some attempts are made to use less common vocabulary like 'modernisation' and 'accommodation', inaccuracies in collocation and word formation are present. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to use vocabulary more precisely, avoiding awkward phrasing and ensuring correct word forms that match the visual data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple or faulty complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as article omissions ('Previously the cafe has serving area' instead of had a serving area), tense inconsistencies, and preposition misuse. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To improve grammatical performance, the writer should practice forming complex sentences accurately, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, and ensure correct tense usage when describing past and present map features.

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

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