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)
This passage illustrates the information about condition of a cafe before redesign and how it looks now. So there are the main features given below in both conditions.
Firstly, I would like to talk about the condition of cafe before redesign. In first situation the cafe had a small area with conjusted kitchen where food was prepared and the food was served in the same section. Infront of it, there were a dining rooms for staff members. Beside dining rooms, there were tables and chairs for sitting and chilling. There were toilets on bottom right corner and a bin for waste products.
On the other hand, the today cafe is so fascinating. It acquires more place. There are different sections. Like the kitchen has a seperate place to prepare hot meals. It also have a salad bar section now. The oppurtunity of food takeaway is also present. The coffee bar is so admiring and refreshing. Outdoor seating, barbecue area and recycling bins within the toilet are also mind blowing.
Infact,I would like to appreciate that the cafe management has built a modern design cafe that attracts the people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| 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, covering both the earlier layout and the current changes, such as the kitchen, seating, and new additions like the salad bar and outdoor seating. However, the development of ideas remains limited and somewhat descriptive rather than analytically compared. The writing relies heavily on personal commentary and subjective evaluations, such as describing the cafe today as 'so fascinating' and the recycling bins as 'mind blowing,' rather than maintaining an objective Academic Task 1 tone. While key visual information is touched upon, the lack of a proper overview and the inclusion of irrelevant personal opinions keep the response at a partial level of task fulfillment.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays some organizational structure with an introductory remark and separate body paragraphs for the past and present layouts. However, there is no clear overall progression or cohesive overview linking the changes together. Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, frequently relying on conversational transitional phrases such as 'Firstly, I would like to talk about' and 'On the other hand, the today cafe is so fascinating.' Paragraphing is attempted, but the division of ideas lacks logical flow, and referencing between sentences can be unclear, resulting in a mechanical feel that prevents the progression from being smooth and natural.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and heavily influenced by informal, conversational style rather than the precise, formal register required for Academic writing. Phrasing such as 'sitting and chilling,' 'so admiring and refreshing,' and 'mind blowing' is inappropriate for a graphical summary. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'conjusted' (spelling error for congested), 'today cafe,' and 'It acquires more place.' These limitations and frequent inaccuracies cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the lexical range from meeting higher standards.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple sentences alongside some basic complex attempts that are often faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense inconsistencies and article errors, such as 'condition of a cafe,' 'In first situation,' 'there were a dining rooms' (agreement error), 'It also have' (subject-verb agreement), and 'within the toilet' (preposition misuse for the recycling bins). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are also occasionally problematic, and these frequent errors cause noticeable difficulty and strain for the reader.
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