Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-22

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 provided maps illustrate the development of college cafe from before to present day .

Overall, the college cafe moderanised from previously to current day with the addition of more facilities such as hot meals area, take away food, coffe bar, salad bar and barbecue for cutomers, Although the most change outside of coffe creat outdoor seating place.

Looking at the details, In before redisighn cafe was converted to new more facilities availible in cafe like in kitchen the serving area was modifiend in hot meals area, While staff dining room was changed into take away food and coffe bar rooms. in the lift side more place had make up likee salaad bar and outside cafe the new barbecue was created. Moreover out side of cafe the new outdoor seating was constructed,

However, the college cafe improved to new desighn and the additions of more facility foor customer was occured in the present day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, such as the addition of the salad bar, coffee bar, and outdoor seating. However, the description is somewhat repetitive and lacks precision in reporting the spatial changes. While the overview identifies the general trend of modernization, the body paragraphs struggle to clearly contrast the 'before' and 'after' states, often resulting in confusing descriptions of the layout changes. The information is presented, but the lack of clarity in comparing the two plans prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is frequently disrupted by awkward phrasing and unclear transitions. For example, the phrase 'In before redisighn cafe was converted to new more facilities' is difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or misused, such as the abrupt transition 'Looking at the details, In before...'. The progression of ideas is hindered by the lack of clear referencing, making it difficult for the reader to track the specific changes between the two maps.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and contains frequent errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'moderanised', 'redisighn', 'availible', and 'salaad'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe the features of the cafe with precision. While the student attempts to use topic-specific terms like 'outdoor seating' and 'serving area', the overall control is weak. The repetition of basic words like 'new' and 'cafe' further limits the lexical range, making the writing feel somewhat simplistic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies on a limited range of sentence structures, and there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Issues include incorrect verb tenses ('was occured'), missing articles ('in lift side'), and faulty sentence construction ('Although the most change outside of coffe creat outdoor seating place'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary capitalization and comma usage. While the meaning is generally discernible, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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

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