Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 Map illustrates the college café before it was redesigned and how it looks in its Current appearance. Overall, the café has significant modification with most of the places and improve the

In the previous design, there was a kitchen in north west side with serving area which serve all food and drink, now is changed into hot meals area, bin is upgraded into recycle bin in the east side. Staff dining rooms were replaced by take away food and Coffee bar according to new Designs. Salad bar was not on pervious designs.

Now on outdoor, barbecue place and outdoor seating area in the south side of map, newly construct for the people to enjoy the food and socializing in Fresh air. In the main hall tables and chairs section remain the same in both designs, however, toilets are also same place beside the bin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign. An overview is attempted at the beginning, noting significant modifications. However, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 145 words, which attracts a penalty under Task Achievement. While key changes such as the kitchen transforming into a hot meals area, the addition of a salad bar, take away food, and an outdoor barbecue area are mentioned, some descriptions lack clarity and detailed comparison. Furthermore, the selection of features could be more fully developed to meet higher band requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay displays some organisation with an introduction, body details, and references to spatial locations like 'in the previous design' and 'now on outdoor'. However, the overall progression is somewhat disjointed, and paragraphing is irregular and poorly managed. Cohesive devices are basic and occasionally awkward, such as starting sentences abruptly ('now is changed into', 'Salad bar was not on pervious designs'). Referencing is not always clear, and the logical flow between sentences and paragraphs is occasionally disrupted, leading to a choppy reading experience.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'redesigned', 'modification', 'recycle bin', and 'barbecue place'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and morphology, such as 'significant modification with most of the places and improve the', 'newly construct', and 'pervious designs'. These lexical errors and limitations cause some difficulty for the reader, although communication of the basic spatial changes is still achieved.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty. Examples of grammatical inaccuracies include missing articles ('kitchen in north west side'), tense confusion ('now is changed into'), and awkward phrasing ('tables and chairs section remain the same'). Punctuation and capitalization are also inconsistent throughout the text. These frequent errors in grammar and mechanics can cause difficulty for the reader, restricting the score to a band 5.0.

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

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