Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-29
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)
Here, I am going to explain you the college cafe which was designed and how it looks now.
Cafe before redesign, it had only one entrance gate, when we entered at the left side, we can see the bin and toilets, little far way had a sitting area with tables and chairs, sitting area right side had a staff dining room and little straight away have a serving area behind this had a kitchen.
Begins with the outdoor seating area had a specious place of sitting with open area along with two entrance gates and end of the corner of area have a barbecue section also, apart when we entered side of the barbeque section first, we saw tables and chairs, at the left side we have salad bar and at the right side have another entrance door side of the have a toilets and recycling bins.
near the sitting area had a takeaway food and coffee bar and the side of the salad bar strength had a hot meal counter behind this have a kitchen. But compare too this the new cafe was very good because have so many facilities like barbecue, outdoor sitting area, salad bar and very interesting thing is counters are different such as take away, coffee bar and hot meal, these facilities made to have anything to avoid crowed lines. and the best thing of new cafe have two entrance to avoid jam.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to describe the changes, but it lacks a clear overview of the main trends or significant differences. The description is largely a list of locations rather than a comparative analysis. The student includes subjective commentary, such as 'the new cafe was very good' and 'very interesting thing', which is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report. The task requires an objective summary of the visual data. While the main features are mentioned, the lack of a clear structure and the inclusion of personal opinion prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay lacks logical paragraphing, with the entire description compressed into a few dense blocks. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and often inaccurate, such as 'Begins with the outdoor seating area' and 'But compare too this'. The progression of ideas is difficult to follow because the spatial relationships are described in a confusing manner. Referencing is often unclear, making it hard for the reader to visualize the layout changes. Improved use of linking words and a clear paragraph structure (e.g., one for the 'before' state, one for the 'after' state, and one for the comparison) is necessary.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying on basic descriptors like 'little far way', 'very good', and 'very interesting'. There are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'strength' instead of 'stretch' or 'straight', and 'crowed lines' instead of 'crowded queues'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe the spatial layout with precision. To improve, the student should focus on learning specific terminology for describing plans, such as 'adjacent to', 'situated in the corner', 'relocated', and 'expanded'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('new cafe have'), tense consistency (mixing past and present), and sentence structure (run-on sentences and fragments). Many sentences are poorly constructed, such as 'at the right side have another entrance door side of the have a toilets'. The range of structures is limited to simple sentences with frequent errors. A focus on basic sentence construction, correct use of prepositions of place, and consistent verb tenses is essential for improvement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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