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)
The maps of the cafe illustrate what's the difference in layout before and after the redesign.
Overall, it is clear that outdoor seating and a barbecue have been introduced by the cafe, along with a salad bar. Staff dining rooms have been transformed into two separate rooms: a takeaway food area and a coffee bar. New recycle bin have been installed alongside toilets.
The outdoor seating has been introduced for barbecues.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, reaching only 71 words. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While you have identified some key features of the cafe redesign, such as the outdoor seating, the salad bar, and the conversion of the staff dining room, the lack of development and the failure to reach the required length significantly impact the score. To improve, you must provide a more detailed description of the changes, including specific locations or spatial relationships shown in the diagrams, and ensure you meet the minimum length to allow for a full demonstration of your ability to report on visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is very brief, making it difficult to assess the use of paragraphing and cohesive devices. There is a basic attempt at an introduction and an overview, but the lack of length prevents the development of a logical flow. The sentences are somewhat disjointed, and there is a lack of linking words to connect the observations. To improve, you should group related information into distinct paragraphs and use a wider range of cohesive devices (e.g., 'furthermore', 'in contrast', 'subsequently') to guide the reader through the comparison of the two maps.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You successfully used terms like 'redesign', 'transformed', and 'installed', which are relevant to the topic. However, the range is limited, and there is little evidence of less common or more precise vocabulary. To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate more descriptive language to explain the changes, such as 'relocated', 'expanded', 'converted into', or 'replaced by'. Expanding your range of synonyms and collocations will help you describe the visual information with greater precision and sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains some grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. For example, 'what's the difference in layout' is an awkward phrasing for an academic report, and 'New recycle bin have been installed' contains a subject-verb agreement error (plural 'bins' or singular 'bin has'). While the meaning is generally clear, the range of structures is limited to simple sentences. To improve, focus on using a mix of complex sentence structures, such as passive voice constructions (which are ideal for describing processes or changes) and subordinate clauses to combine your ideas more fluidly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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