Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-27

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 map compare the college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall, it is evident from the picture that we can see their are lot of changes specially they added outdoor seating for students.

From the first picture, we can see in the left north side there was a kitchen and canteen for all the student. And in the center there was some tables and chairs. Towards to the north there was 2 dining room for all staffs. In the southeast side there was a toilets and bin.

On the other hand, in today Cafe there are lot of changes. In the northwest side the serving area are replaced by hot meats. Moreover, the staff dining rooms are replaced by 2 different room which is take away food and coffee bar. However, there newly added room which is salad bar toward to west and barbecue which is outside and the outdoor seating where student can have males outside. Whereas the toilets and bin hold the same places.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the addition of outdoor seating and the reconfiguration of the interior. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While the student identifies the main changes, the reporting of specific details is occasionally imprecise, such as describing the serving area as being 'replaced by hot meats' rather than a 'hot food counter'. The summary is functional but lacks the level of detail and synthesis required for a higher band. The response addresses the prompt, but the development of the information is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the 'before' to the 'after' state. However, the use of cohesive devices is often repetitive or slightly unnatural, such as the frequent use of 'in the... side' to describe locations. The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the referencing (e.g., 'there newly added room') is occasionally unclear. While the overall structure is logical, the mechanical nature of the linking words prevents a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'hot meats' instead of 'hot food counter' and 'have males' instead of 'have meals'. The student relies on basic descriptors and struggles with accurate collocations related to map descriptions. While the meaning is generally clear, the limited range of vocabulary and the recurring errors in word choice restrict the score to the 5.5 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('the serving area are replaced', 'there was 2 dining room') and incorrect article usage ('a toilets'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with commas and apostrophes. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable and demonstrate a lack of control over more complex grammatical forms.

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

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