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 maps illustrate a college cafe before and after it was redesigned
Overall, the cafe undergone significant redevelopment, with many original features being removed or replayed. Hot meals, take away food, coffee bar, recycling bins, salad bar, barbecue and outdoor searting have been added, while tables and chairs, toilets and kitchen remain unchanged.
On the upper side, the kitchen remains same but the hot meals have replaced the serving area all food and drink. On the left side, the salad bar have been added. In main hall, the tables and chairs remains same.
On the right side, the recycling bins have replaced bins because the control of wasted material. On the upper side in main hall, the staff dining rooms change and divide two rooms, take away food and coffee bar. On the outdoor, barbecue and outdoor seating area have been added
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main changes between the two plans, such as the introduction of the salad bar, coffee bar, and outdoor seating. Relevant features are selected and reported, though some ideas are under-developed or lack full elaboration. For instance, mentioning that tables and chairs 'remain unchanged' is slightly inaccurate regarding their total layout given the new outdoor additions. Additionally, the response falls slightly short of the required word count, coming in at 142 words instead of the minimum 150 words. To reach a higher band, the writer should ensure all spatial descriptions are entirely accurate and fully extend every comparison with clearer supporting details.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical spatial progression from the upper side to the left, main hall, right side, and outdoor areas. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is occasionally faulty, such as abrupt transitions between sentences without smooth linking devices. Paragraphing is attempted, but the text is broken into short, somewhat disjointed blocks rather than well-developed paragraphs. To improve, the writer needs to use a wider range of cohesive devices more flexibly and ensure that sentences flow naturally into one another to guide the reader smoothly through the spatial analysis.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating functional terms like 'redevelopment', 'recycling bins', and 'outdoor seating'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and typos such as 'replayed' instead of 'replaced', 'searting' instead of 'seating', and 'wasted material' instead of 'waste management'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they reflect a limited control of less common vocabulary and word formation. To achieve a higher band, the student should expand their range of descriptive vocabulary and carefully proofread to eliminate spelling mistakes and collocation errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence forms, but control is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors involving subject-verb agreement and prepositions, such as 'the cafe undergone', 'the salad bar have been added', and 'divide two rooms' instead of 'divided into two rooms'. Punctuation is also sparse, with missing periods at the ends of sentences. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To move up to a higher band, the writer needs to produce a greater proportion of error-free sentences and pay closer attention to verb tenses, passive forms, and prepositional phrases.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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