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 two plans compare the layout of a college cafe before its redesign and at present. Overall, the cafe has undergone substantial modernisation, with the removel of private staff facilities, reorganition of the ;serving area, and a more efficient use of space for customers. Before redesign, the cafe was divide into several function areas. In the north-west corner was the kitchen, with a serving area for all food and drink directly below it. The central and southern parts were dominated by tables and chairs for general use. To the east of the serving area were two separate staff dininng rooms, each with a round table. In the siuth-east corner, there were toilets while Bin was located just inside the entrance on the east wall The entrance itself eas onn the east wall. Thee entrance itself was on the eastern side. Today, the layoiut is more customer-focused. The kitchen remains in the same place but has been enlarged. The serving area has been spilt winto two section-food and drinks-with a till placed at the entrance side. Two staff dining rooms have been relocated to the north-east corner, the bins has been removed to the siuthern wall, allowing a clearer circulation path.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While you provide an overview and mention several changes between the two plans, the information presented is incomplete and contains significant factual inaccuracies regarding the redesigned layout. For instance, you state that the staff dining rooms have been relocated to the north-east corner, whereas the visual data shows that this space now contains a take away food counter and a coffee bar, and the staff dining rooms were actually removed entirely. Furthermore, your description trails off and stops abruptly mid-sentence at the end of the text, leaving key features of the cafe today—such as the outdoor seating area and barbecue—unmentioned. To achieve a higher band, you need to ensure all major features are reported accurately and your ideas are fully developed without omissions or factual misinterpretations of the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation in your writing, but it lacks a clear overall progression and logical flow throughout. You attempt to compare the 'before' and 'after' stages, but the transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and inaccurately in places, such as odd punctuation marks like semicolons in awkward positions (e.g., ';serving area') and repetitive phrasing. Paragraphing is also problematic, as the entire body of your response is condensed into a single dense block of text rather than being logically divided into an introduction, an overview, and distinct body paragraphs detailing specific areas of the plans. To improve, you should structure your essay into clear paragraphs and use a wider, more accurate range of cohesive devices to guide the reader smoothly through your comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary range is limited and minimally adequate for the task. You attempt some less common vocabulary items, such as 'modernisation', 'reorganition', and 'customer-focused', but these are offset by frequent spelling errors and word-form inaccuracies, such as 'removel', 'divide', 'sihth-east', 'layoiut', 'spilt', 'winto', and 'siuthern'. These errors demonstrate a lack of control over word formation and spelling, although they do not completely impede communication. To reach a higher band, you need to use a wider and more precise range of vocabulary while eliminating basic spelling mistakes. Pay closer attention to spelling and ensure that the exact terms from the prompt or standard lexical items (such as 'divided' instead of 'divide') are used correctly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You display a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences alongside some attempts at complex forms that often contain errors. There are frequent grammatical mistakes relating to prepositions, subject-verb agreement, and articles throughout your writing. Examples include 'Before redesign, the cafe was divide' (missing article and incorrect verb form), 'eas onn the east wall' (spelling and preposition error), and 'the bins has been removed' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation and sentence boundaries also show instability, as seen in run-on phrasing near the end of your response. To achieve a higher score, you must demonstrate better control over basic and complex grammatical structures, ensuring accurate verb forms, correct preposition usage, and reliable punctuation.

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

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