Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-07
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)
They work very well to redesign the college cafe and it's looking very good . They had added some extra space for outdoor seating and enjoy their meals.
In kitchen they changed the serving area into hot meal's space where the college students can buy it. There are two rooms available for staff dining and they change one into take away which is a good idea because students have not to wait so long for their food and other into coffee bar where students can buy.On the front side of the kitchen they had added the salad bar from where students and take it from themselves.
They increase the place of bin and change its name into recycling bin. The toilets remains same as they were.
There is barbecue outside of the building and on other hand they had place for outdoor seating for they students where they can sit and enjoy their meals and there two doors one for barbecue and other
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 to the college cafe, but it fails to provide a clear overview or a structured summary of the main features. The description is fragmented and lacks a logical flow, making it difficult to follow the transformation from the 'before' to the 'after' state. While some features like the outdoor seating and the kitchen modifications are mentioned, the report lacks the analytical tone required for an Academic Task 1 response. The writing is more descriptive and informal rather than a formal summary of visual data. To improve, focus on grouping related information and providing a clear, concise overview of the most significant changes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response lacks a clear paragraph structure, and the progression of ideas is disjointed. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link sentences and ideas effectively, which makes the text feel like a list of observations rather than a coherent report. Referencing is often unclear, such as in the final sentence where the description of the doors is left incomplete. The use of linking words is minimal and sometimes misused, which hinders the overall flow. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear focus and use transition words like 'furthermore', 'in contrast', or 'subsequently' to guide the reader through the changes.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying on basic verbs like 'changed', 'added', and 'increase'. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'increase the place of bin' and 'students and take it from themselves'. The use of 'hot meal's space' is also unnatural. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of precise terminology for describing visual data (e.g., 'relocated', 'expanded', 'converted') limits the score. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and nouns related to floor plans and spatial changes would significantly improve your lexical performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('toilets remains'), tense consistency ('they change one'), and article usage. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors, such as 'students have not to wait so long'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods and commas. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring consistent verb tenses when describing past and present states, and proofreading for common errors like subject-verb agreement and pluralization.
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.