Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 plans illustrate a college cafe before it was renovated and it looks today.

Overall it is clear that, the mejor change is tables annd chairs area after that the barbecue with many ieams add their.

The given layouts allow us to see the changes in the Café before and after modification. It can be seen the slight adjustment inside the building and an additional outdoor area.

The second map shows the current general arrangement of the Café. On the south side, the Café has been expanded with an outdoor area for barbecue and a seating zone, completed with two additional doors. Inside the building, the north area has been slightly changed. The serving area for all food and drink has been adjusted to hot meals only. A salad bar space has been added to the west side of the building. On the east side, the Bin was modified to a bigger Recycling Bin. The last modification was two staff dining rooms, which were adjusted to take away food and a coffee bar. The kitchen, table and chair area still remains.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to address the task by comparing the two maps of the college café before and after its redesign. Key features such as the outdoor seating area, the barbecue, the changes to the serving counters, and the addition of the salad bar are mentioned. However, the overview in the introduction is awkwardly phrased and contains spelling errors ('major', 'and', 'items', 'add'), and the overall response lacks a fully developed, cohesive overview of the most striking changes. While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precision in describing spatial arrangements keeps the task achievement at a moderate level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, which helps structure the information. However, the logical progression is hindered by awkward transitions and repetitive referencing. For example, the second paragraph is virtually incomprehensible and grammatically flawed ('the mejor change is tables annd chairs area after that the barbecue with many ieams add their'). Cohesive devices within the body paragraphs are used somewhat mechanically ('The second map shows...', 'Inside the building...'). Paragraphing is present, but overall progression within the beginning of the text is faulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is fairly basic and repetitive, with several noticeable spelling and word choice errors ('mejor', 'annd', 'ieams', 'add their' instead of added there). While the student attempts some less common terms related to the visual data (such as 'modification', 'arrangement', 'expansion'), inaccuracies in word formation and spelling frequently occur. The range is minimally adequate for the task, but lexical control is weak, which impacts the overall precision of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response shows a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in sentence structure and punctuation, particularly in the opening sections ('The plans illustrate a college cafe before it was renovated and it looks today'). While some sentences in the final paragraph are grammatically acceptable ('A salad bar space has been added to the west side of the building'), errors in basic syntax and preposition usage persist throughout, occasionally causing difficulty for the reader.

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

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