Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12
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 diagrams compares the cafeteria, before redesigning to the present structure.
Overall, the cafe has remained the same over the period with a few modifications. Staff rooms are replaced, cafe has been extended to add a Barbecue section. While rest is more of less the same, with the exception of expension.
Presently the serving area has been replaced with the hot meals section that now enters to the Salad bar, while staff dining rooms have been altered to take away food, where the food is packed for taking away, and coffee bar for sitting and having cofee, sweets, and backery items . Conversely there is some addition of recycle bins for disposing off diefferent kinds of wastage. Now the Salad bar makes an entrance to the Barbecue section, where an outdoor seating has been arranged with multiple dining tables for people prefreing to enjoy their food outdoors in the fresh environment.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response attempts to cover the main features of the two diagrams showing the college cafe before and after its redesign. You successfully identify key changes such as the extension of the cafe to add a barbecue section, the alteration of staff rooms into a take-away area and coffee bar, and the addition of recycle bins. However, the overview paragraph is very weak and fails to present a clear, comprehensive summary of the major transformations, such as the overall expansion in floor space and the reorganisation of dining facilities. Additionally, some descriptions are slightly vague or lack precise referencing to specific areas on the plans. Therefore, while the response addresses the task, the development of ideas is limited, leading to a band score of 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response shows some organisational structure with an introductory overview and subsequent body paragraphs detailing specific changes. However, the paragraphing is somewhat erratic, with very short paragraphs that disrupt the logical flow and overall progression of information. Cohesive devices are used minimally and sometimes inappropriately, such as 'Conversely there is some addition of recycle bins', which does not represent a true contrast. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, making it hard to follow the spatial relationships between the old and new layouts. Although there is an underlying structure, the mechanical and sometimes inadequate cohesion limits the coherence of the text, fitting the band 5.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to food service and spatial layout, such as 'serving area', 'salad bar', 'barbecue section', and 'outdoor seating'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'expension' instead of expansion, 'cofee' instead of coffee, 'backery' instead of bakery, 'diefferent' instead of different, 'wastage' instead of waste, and 'prefreing' instead of preferring. These lexical inaccuracies and spelling slips are frequent enough to cause some distraction for the reader, placing the response firmly at band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'where the food is packed for taking away' and 'for people prefreing to enjoy their food'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with several errors in tense, preposition usage, and punctuation. Examples include 'The diagrams compares' (subject-verb agreement error), 'cafeteria, before redesigning to the present structure' (awkward phrasing and punctuation), and missing articles or incorrect prepositions. Frequent errors in complex structures and punctuation occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, justifying a band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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