Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-13

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 5.0)

This college cafe it was resdesigned built a new college cafe. One the one hand, when we are talking about first design of college it is looking with one kitchen and serving area, and there are two staff dining rooms, toilets and keep the tables and chairs.

One the other hand, after design cafe looking different there are one kitchen and serving area changed into hot meals and the place of staff room design into take away food and coffee bar the outside of the kitchen is hot meals and front of the salad bar next recycking bins and toilets are same position. And the college front side keep outdoor seating for students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several central changes: the serving counter becomes a hot-meals area, the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee-bar sections, and outdoor seating is added. You also note that the kitchen and toilets remain. However, the comparison is incomplete and some details are unclear or inaccurate: “the outside of the kitchen is hot meals” does not clearly describe the plan, and the salad bar and barbecue are not reported. The response also falls 37 words short of the required minimum, leaving the main features underdeveloped. To improve, give a clear overview of the major changes, then describe the interior and new outdoor facilities with accurate locations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response as a before-and-after comparison, using “One the one hand” and “One the other hand.” This gives the reader a general sense of the sequence. However, the response consists of two long, crowded sentences, and the second combines many changes without clear separation or progression. Phrases such as “the outside of the kitchen is hot meals and front of the salad bar next recycking bins” make the relationships between features difficult to follow. Use a short introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the original layout and the redesigned café. Connectors such as “whereas,” “in addition,” and “while” can clarify specific comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “take away food,” “coffee bar,” and “outdoor seating,” so the reader can recognise several features of the plans. However, the range is limited and some wording is repetitive or imprecise, particularly repeated uses of “design” and “place.” Errors such as “resdesigned” and “recycking” also reduce accuracy, while “the college front side” is not a clear way to describe the outdoor area. Build a more precise set of terms for describing changes and locations, such as “was converted into,” “along the western wall,” and “adjacent to.” Check spelling and use standard forms such as “takeaway” and “recycling bins.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to compare the two plans, but grammatical control is inconsistent and the range of sentence structures is limited. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction appear in phrases such as “This college cafe it was resdesigned built a new college cafe” and “after design cafe looking different.” Articles and agreement are also problematic in “there are one kitchen” and “there are two staff dining rooms … and keep the tables and chairs.” The long second sentence joins several ideas without reliable punctuation, making some relationships hard to understand. Practise accurate simple comparison sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses using “while” or “whereas.” For example, state that the kitchen remains, while the former staff rooms have been replaced.

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

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