Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04
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 given pictures compare the college cafe before it is redesigned and after how it looks.
Overall, the college cafe when it was redesigned there were few main places and had a small sitting area, while they changed the cafe added more facilities and increased the sitting area.
Cafe before redesigned there were some tables and chairs for sitting. Then, their is a large dinning room for staff and at the right corner mid side of cafe there is a small bin area few downward steps there are a toilet. However, at the left corner of cafe there is kitchen on the back side of serving counter.
In comparison, after some changes they replaced the staf dinning room in two counter which is for take away food or coffee bar also they increased the size of bins place. Then they added the salad bar counter on the left mid side of sitting area. Next, they added the outdoor sitting for people and gave them barbeque place to enjoy and cook their own barbeque.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the main features of the task, noting the primary modifications such as the replacement of the staff dining rooms, the addition of a salad bar, and the introduction of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited, and the overview paragraph lacks clarity in contrasting the two plans effectively. Certain spatial details are slightly vague or imprecise, such as describing the location of the toilets and bins. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to provide a more fully developed overview highlighting the most striking overall changes, and ensure all key spatial transformations are reported with greater precision and clarity.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic structure, dividing the description into an introduction, an initial layout section, and a comparison section. However, overall progression is limited by awkward transitions and mechanical cohesive devices, such as starting consecutive sentences with 'Then' and 'Next'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the flow between ideas is occasionally disjointed, making it harder for the reader to follow the spatial relationships on the maps. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive links naturally, ensure clearer referencing between sentences, and organize the spatial details into more logically sequenced, cohesive paragraphs that guide the reader smoothly from the past layout to the present one.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic concepts related to the maps, such as 'kitchen', 'serving counter', and 'tables and chairs'. However, the range is limited, and there are noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors, such as 'sitting' instead of 'seating' and 'staf dinning room' instead of 'staff dining room'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are minimal and sometimes imprecise. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more precise range of functional vocabulary tailored to describing spatial changes, while eliminating basic spelling and word choice inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few faulty attempts at complex ones. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense errors ('before it is redesigned' instead of 'before it was redesigned'), missing verbs or prepositions ('their is a large dinning room'), and incorrect subject-verb agreement. These errors frequently cause difficulty for the reader and disrupt the flow of reading. To progress, the writer must improve control over basic sentence construction, ensure correct verb tenses and prepositions, and work on reducing the frequency of grammatical errors in simple and complex sentences alike.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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