Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06
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 plans display the layout of a collage cafe before it was remodeled and how it looks today.
Overall, the cafe has undergone significant changes, with several new facilities added and the outdoor area being developed. However, the kitchen and toilets have remained in their original position.
Before the redesign, the cafe had a kitchen in the upper left corner, with a serving area where all the food and drinks were provided. The main part of the cafe consisted of a large seating area with tables and chairs. Two staff dining rooms were situated in this area. In addition, there was a bin on the right-hand wall, while the toilets were located in the bottom-right corner.
Following the redesign, the kitchen remained in the same position, but the serving meals area was replaced by a hot meals area. A salad bar was added on the left-hand wall, while two staff dining rooms was replaced by take away food area and coffee bar. FInally, the most significant change was the outdoors area, which consist of barbecue and several chairs an t
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the main features of the task, providing an overview and selecting key details to compare the before and after states of the college cafe. However, some parts of the response are under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies. For instance, the student states that 'two staff dining rooms was replaced by take away food area and coffee bar', which misses the full picture since only part of that northern area was modified while the kitchen stayed. Additionally, the description of the outdoor area cuts off abruptly at the end ('and t'), leaving the final detail incomplete and impacting the overall completeness of the task execution.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression, moving from an introductory overview to a detailed description of the original layout, followed by the changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different sections of the response. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or slightly faulty, such as the sudden ending and occasional referencing issues. Transitional phrases are basic, and while the structure allows the reader to follow the general comparison, more sophisticated cohesive devices would be needed for a higher level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic spatial relationships and functional changes in the cafe, such as 'remodelled', 'serving area', and 'salad bar'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but this is accompanied by lexical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'collage cafe' (misspelling of college) and 'serving meals area'. Word choice is sometimes imprecise, and the response suffers from an incomplete sentence fragment at the end, which restricts the range and accuracy of lexical items.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over past and present simple tenses ('had a kitchen', 'remained in the same position'). However, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with subject-verb agreement and articles, such as 'two staff dining rooms was replaced' instead of 'were replaced', and omitting necessary articles like 'a' before 'take away food area' and 'outdoors area'. These errors occur alongside frequent structural slips, although they rarely completely impede communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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