Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-10
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)
The plans show a college cafe that is beautifully redesigned and that looks more efficient as compared to previous one. If we compared these, the best part that I must appreciate is about the seperate sections of different food stalls like coffee bar, salad bar is left of take away food right top of barbecue side. Because in the cafe before redesign, there is so much congested place that leads to so much crowd at serving area. Also outdoor seating also looks very attractive because students also able to enjoy the lovely weather. Recycling bins as both are in same position near to toilet area also prove beneficial for students. But the limitation, I observed in redesign cafe is absence of staff dining rooms because there must be a special space for teachers that highlight their value among students. Overall, this is a good redesigning of cafe that draw the attention of students due to various seperate compartments.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to provide a clear, objective summary of the visual data. Instead of describing the changes neutrally, you include subjective opinions such as 'the best part that I must appreciate' and 'I observed in redesign cafe is absence of staff dining rooms'. IELTS Academic Task 1 requires a factual report of the features shown in the diagrams, not a personal critique or evaluation of the design choices. While you mention some features like the coffee bar and outdoor seating, the lack of an overview and the inclusion of irrelevant personal commentary significantly detract from the task requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is written as a single paragraph, which is not appropriate for a formal report. There is a lack of logical progression; the ideas jump between features without a clear structure or effective use of cohesive devices. While some linking words like 'also' and 'but' are used, they are often placed awkwardly, making the flow of information feel disjointed. To improve, you should organize your response into a clear introduction, an overview of the main changes, and separate paragraphs for specific details, using a wider range of linking phrases to connect your ideas more smoothly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You rely on basic descriptors such as 'beautifully', 'good', and 'lovely'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'congested place' (should be 'cramped' or 'overcrowded') and 'separate compartments' (which is not the best way to describe a cafe layout). The phrasing 'left of take away food right top of barbecue side' is confusing and lacks the precision required for describing spatial relationships in a diagram. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and spatial prepositions will help improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'as compared to previous one' (missing article), 'there is so much congested place' (incorrect subject-verb agreement and word choice), and 'students also able to enjoy' (missing verb 'are'). The sentence structures are generally simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors, such as 'the limitation, I observed in redesign cafe is absence of staff dining rooms'. You need to focus on basic sentence construction, including the correct use of articles, prepositions, and verb forms, before attempting more complex structures.
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.