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, noting key changes such as the conversion of the kitchen into a hot meals area and the addition of outdoor seating. However, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 145 words, which leads to a penalty under Task Achievement. Additionally, some details are slightly inaccurate or vague, such as stating that 'salad bar was not on pervious designs' without proper contextual integration, and the overview lacks a fully developed summary of all major spatial transformations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organized into paragraphs, attempting a logical progression from an overall introduction to specific indoor and outdoor changes. However, referencing and cohesion are frequently faulty or mechanical. Phrases like 'now is changed into' and 'now on outdoor' lack smooth transitional devices. Furthermore, paragraphing is somewhat disjointed, and the relationships between the various transformed areas of the cafe are not always clearly guided by cohesive links.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for a basic description of the maps, featuring items such as 'redesigned', 'modification', 'recycle bin', and 'barbecue place'. However, the range is limited and repetition occurs. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'Current appearance' (capitalisation error), 'significant modification with most of the places and improve the', and 'newly construct'. These errors reflect a restricted lexical repertoire and occasional spelling or grammatical form slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, missing subjects, and incorrect verb forms throughout the text, such as 'now is changed into' (missing subject), 'Staff dining rooms were replaced... according to new Designs' (unnecessary capitalization), and 'newly construct for the people' (passive voice error). Punctuation is also problematic, particularly run-on clauses in the opening paragraph.

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

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