Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-05

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 diagram shows the plan of collage cafe design of nowadays and also how it was look before redesign. Overall, it can be seen that they have made some changes inside and introduce the seat area outside in today,s plan.

In today's cafe plan, The construction is in 'L' shaped which is similar to old plan. Outdoor seating is introduce where, they have kept many tables and chair so people can enjoy food outside in open area. barbecue stall is installed in left side of the outdoor seating which was not in older plan.

The uper left corner had serving area for all food and drink were they are now serving only hot meal. in main hall Salad bar introduce just beside the barbecue stall. staff dining rooms completely removed and that place is utilize to take away food and coffee bar. only bin were replaced by re

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. While you have identified some key features, such as the outdoor seating and the barbecue stall, the description is incomplete. The final sentence is cut off mid-word ('re'), and the overview is quite brief. To improve, ensure you provide a more comprehensive summary of all changes, including the relocation of the serving area and the removal of the staff dining room. You must also ensure the response is at least 150 words to avoid a penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally mechanical (e.g., 'In today's cafe plan'). Some sentences lack clear logical flow, such as the transition between the serving area and the main hall. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect your ideas more smoothly, and ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus. The abrupt ending also disrupts the overall coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'plan', 'design', and 'area'. There are also several errors in word choice and form, such as 'collage' instead of 'college', 'introduce' instead of 'introduced', and 'uper' instead of 'upper'. These errors, combined with the incomplete final sentence, hinder the clarity of your writing. To achieve a higher band, focus on using more precise vocabulary related to describing maps and changes, such as 'transformed', 'relocated', 'converted', or 'extended'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with verb tenses ('how it was look'), subject-verb agreement, and missing articles ('barbecue stall is installed'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and apostrophes (e.g., 'today,s'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and the attempt at complex structures is often faulty. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring correct verb forms, and proofreading for punctuation errors. Increasing the variety of your sentence structures will also help improve your score.

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

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