Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05
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 first plan demonstrate a college cafe before the development.The second plan illustrates how this area has redeveloped by time.
Overall,the cafe has undergone a noticeable changes with the addition of a new barbecue and outdoor seating area.There have been considerable modifications in the layout of the cafe area.
In the first map there was a serving area that served all food and drinks that area replaced into hot meals area.The staff dining room upgraded into two separate rooms that are the take away food area and coffee bar.The bin area had a modernized conversion into recycling bins area.The toilet side remained unchanged.The tables and chairs in the middle remained largely unchanged similarly the kitchen zone remained in the same position.
The major transformation has been in the new feature that is added very recently.There is a new notable expansion area in the cafe that is the barbecue and outdoor seating zone.They have added a new corner of salad bar in the right side of the tables and chairs.
The area became significantly more modern with several new facilities being added.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| 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 conversion of staff rooms and the addition of outdoor areas. However, some aspects of the information are under-developed or imprecise. For instance, the student states that the salad bar was added in the right side of the tables and chairs, whereas the visual data shows it along the western wall (left side). While an overview is provided mentioning the noticeable changes and the barbecue area, a more balanced selection and extension of key spatial developments would elevate the task achievement further.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure by moving from a general introduction to specific indoor and outdoor alterations. Paragraphing is attempted, though some sentences are grouped together without adequate separation. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'the' or repetitive sentence starters like 'In the first map' and 'The major transformation'. Referencing is generally clear, but smoother transitions between sentences and paragraphs are needed to achieve a more natural progression throughout the text.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey basic comparisons such as 'noticeable changes', 'considerable modifications', and 'modernized conversion'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items like 'redevelopment' and 'expansion area', though there are occasional awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'that area replaced into hot meals area' and 'the toilet side remained unchanged'. Spelling is generally accurate, but closer attention to natural phrasing and precise lexical control is required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The first plan demonstrate a college cafe before the development.' There are several noticeable grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The first plan demonstrate'), missing articles ('in right side'), and awkward prepositions ('redeveloped by time' instead of 'over time'). Punctuation errors also occur, such as missing spaces after periods. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they persist frequently enough to keep the grammatical control at the current level.
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.