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 following two plans illustrate the cafeteria design of a college which is now undergo several changes to make it better.

Overall, the old cafeteria was not that much spacious however now after reconstruction it becomes more spacious and specifically outdoor seating is available for the students. The kitchen, tables and chairs area and toilets are still remain at the same place.

The old cafetria was small but it had the staff dinning rooms unlike the new cafe. The new cafetria is more spacious but some changes are seen in it as the serving area is changed into the hot meals area. Also, the staff dinning rooms are converted into the take away food desk and coffee bar area as well. the bin area in the old cafe was small but now in new cafe it is more spacious than that. The tables and chairs area is same as in the old but a mini salad bar area is introduced at the left side of it.

In the today's cafe, At the bottom left corner there is a barbecue area with the large outdoor seating area which allows the students to sit and enjoy their meals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main features of the college cafeteria before and after its redesign. An overview is provided, noting general changes such as increased spaciousness and the addition of outdoor seating. Key features like the kitchen, toilets, and seating areas are reported, and comparisons are made between the two layouts. However, some parts are more fully developed than others, and certain details are slightly imprecise or repetitive, keeping the response at this level. For instance, the mention of the bin area becoming more spacious is a misinterpretation of the plan, where recycling bins replace a single bin in a similar footprint. To reach a higher level, all reported details should be accurate reflections of the visual data, and comparisons should be more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure, moving from an introductory overview to body paragraphs detailing specific spatial changes, concluding with the outdoor additions. Paragraphing is attempted to separate different aspects of the plans. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the abrupt transition in the final paragraph starting with 'In the today's cafe'. Cohesive devices like 'Also' and 'however' are used, but the overall flow feels slightly disjointed due to repetitive sentence starters. Achieving a higher band would require smoother transitions between sentences and paragraphs, alongside more flexible and natural use of cohesive devices to guide the reader effortlessly through the spatial comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

An adequate range of vocabulary is used for the task, allowing the student to describe structural changes using functional terms such as 'reconstruction', 'redesigned', 'converted', and 'spacious'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is accompanied by some word-choice errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'cafetria' instead of cafeteria and 'dinning' instead of dining. Phrasing such as 'undergo several changes' contains tense and word-form inaccuracies. These errors do not impede communication, as the reader can still follow the descriptions easily. To move up, the student needs to demonstrate greater precision in word choice, eliminate basic spelling slips, and incorporate a wider variety of precise spatial and descriptive terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and articles, such as 'which is now undergo', 'the cafeteria design... is now undergo', 'still remain at the same place', and 'in the today's cafe'. While some complex structures are attempted, errors in prepositions and clause structures persist throughout the text. Nevertheless, the meaning remains generally clear, and these errors rarely impede overall communication. To achieve a higher band, the student must produce a greater proportion of error-free sentences, maintain consistent tense control when describing visual data, and ensure accurate grammatical patterns in complex structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.