Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-31
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 4.5)
This pictures illustrates a college cafe was redesigned. how it's looks before and now pictures.
overall, today pictures shows expanded area then before days. a salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating area was devloped.
now college cafe resign hot meals instead off serving area. it's serve all food and drinks. take away food and coffee bar new in placed off staff dining rooms. bin was resigned by recycling bin. barbecue and outdoor seating area was expanded in cafe.
college cafe have kitchen, tables, chairs and toilets was not change. salad bar was added in cafe area in left side of the area. outdooor seating area and barbecue located outside the cafe area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While the student attempts to identify some changes, such as the addition of a salad bar and the expansion of the outdoor seating area, the description is fragmented and lacks the necessary detail to provide a clear summary of the main features. The overview is underdeveloped, and the report lacks a cohesive comparison between the two plans. Because the response is substantially under-length and lacks sufficient detail, it does not fully address the requirements of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5
The essay is divided into short paragraphs, but the logical progression of ideas is weak. The sentences are often disjointed, and the use of cohesive devices is minimal or inaccurate (e.g., 'today pictures shows', 'now college cafe resign'). There is a lack of clear referencing, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the 'before' and 'now' states. The overall structure is mechanical, and the lack of linking words prevents the development of a coherent argument or description.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary is very basic and often inaccurate, which hinders communication. There are frequent errors in word choice and form, such as 'resign' instead of 'redesign', 'devloped' for 'developed', and 'in placed off' instead of 'in place of'. The range of vocabulary is limited, and the student struggles to use appropriate terminology to describe the features of the cafe plans. The spelling errors are frequent and noticeable throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
The grammar is characterized by frequent errors that often impede meaning. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'This pictures illustrates', 'college cafe have kitchen'), tense usage, and sentence structure. Many sentences are grammatically incomplete or incorrectly constructed, such as 'bin was resigned by recycling bin'. There is very little evidence of complex sentence structures, and the high frequency of basic grammatical errors makes the text difficult to read and understand.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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