Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01

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 two diagrams illustrated the structural modification to The collage cafe layout.

Overall, it is evident that , the coffee prior to developing it lake to the facilities with very limited items, while the redesigned map adding to it many department with keeped some location in olde one.

Looking to the previous cafe, the serving area for food and drink located in the front of kitchen ,the two staff dining rooms position near to the northern wall containing rounded tabels, the bins small in size in the right side and the toilets located in the bottom right corner.

On the other hand, the rearanged coffee have many changes such as the hot meals replaced the serving area,the two staf rooms changed by take a way food and coffee bar. The salad bar adding to the western side.alksi barbecue in the lower left angle of the map, a new outdoor seating with rectangular tabels .the toilets remain in it is location and the bins expanded in size and named recycling bins.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, identifying key changes such as the addition of a salad bar and the replacement of the serving area. However, the overview is somewhat confusingly phrased, and some descriptions are imprecise (e.g., 'the coffee prior to developing it lake to the facilities'). While the main features are reported, the lack of clarity in the overview and some inaccurate descriptions of the layout changes prevent a higher score. The response successfully identifies the key transformations, but the presentation of this information lacks the precision required for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'On the other hand' used to transition between the two diagrams, which is not the most appropriate choice here. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when describing the location of items (e.g., 'the toilets remain in it is location'). While there is a logical progression from the 'previous' to the 'rearranged' cafe, the overall flow is hindered by awkward phrasing and limited linking words.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and contains several errors that impede clarity, such as 'The collage cafe' (college), 'lake to the facilities' (lacked), and 'rearranged coffee' (cafe). There is an attempt to use descriptive language, but word choice is often imprecise or incorrect, such as 'lower left angle' instead of 'corner' or 'bottom-left'. The range is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, but the frequent errors in word formation and collocation suggest a limited range of vocabulary for this task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies on simple sentence structures, and there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('the bins small in size'), incorrect verb forms ('the salad bar adding to'), and punctuation errors. Complex structures are attempted but are often faulty, such as 'the coffee prior to developing it lake to the facilities with very limited items'. These errors are frequent and occasionally make the meaning difficult to follow, though the general intent of the description remains clear.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.