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 given maps illustrate the information about the changes of took places in the past and changes take places in present time in cafe area.
To begin with, in the past , the main entrance of the cafe was in the west side.The kichen and serving area were situated in the corner of north- west direction. The tables and chairs were located in the middle . The staff dining rooms were discovered the top side of tables and chairs areas. Toilets and bin were located in the corner of South-west.
Moving further, in the present time , the serving area is converted in hot meal area .The staff dining rooms are replaced into take away food and coffee bar. The salad bar is constructed in the east side .The barbecue and outdoor seating area are also added in the south direction.
Overall , there are observed many changes in the present . The principal changes are build salad bar, barbecue area and outdoor seating .
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 summarise the main features of the two college cafe plans, pointing out key changes such as the addition of the salad bar, barbecue area, and outdoor seating. However, the task achievement is limited by inaccurate referencing of spatial locations and features. For instance, the writer states that 'The staff dining rooms were discovered the top side', and incorrectly claims that the serving area was converted into a hot meal area without fully capturing the spatial reallocation shown in the diagram. While the main features are touched upon, the overview lacks precision and the development of comparisons is somewhat rudimentary. Consequently, this performance aligns closely with Band 5, as the response addresses the task partially and contains noticeable inaccuracies in reporting the visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is divided into four distinct paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs detailing the past and present layouts, and an overall concluding sentence. This shows an attempt at basic organisation. However, progression is hindered by awkward transitions and mechanical cohesive devices, such as 'To begin with', 'Moving further', and 'Overall'. Referencing is frequently unclear or misused, as seen in phrases like 'The staff dining rooms were discovered the top side of tables and chairs areas.' Furthermore, the connection between sentences often feels disjointed, lacking smooth logical flow. These issues place the response solidly at Band 5 due to some organisation but a lack of overall clear progression and inadequate cohesive devices.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, relying heavily on fundamental terms such as 'tables', 'chairs', 'toilets', and 'door'. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text, including 'changes of took places', 'staff dining rooms were discovered', and 'are build salad bar'. The attempt to use less common vocabulary is limited, and these lexical inaccuracies occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. The range of vocabulary is minimally adequate for the task, meeting the criteria for Band 5, where errors in word choice and spelling are noticeable and restrict precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the response, such as tense confusion ('changes of took places in the past and changes take places in present time'), incorrect passive voice usage ('The staff dining rooms were discovered'), and missing prepositions or articles ('in west side', 'in south direction'). Punctuation and word formation are also problematic ('kichen', 'hot meal area'). Because the frequency of errors is high and many complex structures are faulty, causing difficulty for the reader, this performance meets the criteria for Band 5.
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.