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)
These two diagram compare the layout of two college cafe before and after renovation. Overall the cafe become more modren and convenient. Several new food srevice are added. The staff dining area were replaced by the takeaway food and coffee bar. In addition outdoor seat , barbecue and recycling bin were introduced.
Before the redesinged, the kitchen were placed in the top left corner and a serving area for all foods and drinks in thr front of the kitchen.The toilet is in the lower right corner and a bin near it and also having a entrence at the right side of the staff dining rooms.
After the cafe were redesigned, The staff dining rooms were replaced by the take away food and the coffee bar. In addition the outdoor seating area and barbecue system are also placed in the outside of the cafe at the bottom side and make two entrence for seating area and barbecue. The tables and chairs are remain same ion its place. The major change was the hot meal replaced by the serving area for all foods and drinks and the recycling bin also replaced by the bin
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 successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two plans. The student identifies key changes, such as the replacement of the staff dining area with a takeaway food and coffee bar, the addition of outdoor seating, a barbecue, a salad bar, and recycling bins. An overview is provided at the beginning, noting that the cafe became more modern and convenient. However, some details are slightly inaccurate or vague, such as referring to a 'barbecue system' or missing the newly added salad bar in the description. Nevertheless, the main spatial transformations and features are adequately selected and compared, meeting the core requirements of Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response attempts a logical organization by beginning with an overview, followed by details of the original layout, and concluding with the changes. However, the paragraphing is underdeveloped, with the second and third paragraphs grouping multiple disparate details together rather than grouping information cohesively. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. For instance, the transition between sentences often relies on simple repetition rather than a smooth flow. Paragraph breaks are present, but the internal structure of the body paragraphs lacks clear progression and topic sentences to guide the reader through the spatial comparison.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to maps and renovations, such as 'layout', 'renovation', 'serving area', and 'takeaway food'. However, there are notable spelling and word-form errors throughout the text, including 'modren' (modern), 'srevice' (service), 'redesinged' (redesigned), and 'entrence' (entrance). There are also instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'barbecue system' and 'make two entrence'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the general message, these frequent lexical and spelling inaccuracies restrict the score to the Band 5.0 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and verb tenses, such as 'These two diagram compare' (These two diagrams compare), 'the cafe become' (became), 'the kitchen were placed' (was placed), 'The toilet is' (The toilets are), and 'The tables and chairs are remain same' (remain the same). Prepositional usage is also occasionally flawed, such as 'in thr front' and 'in the outside'. While some sentences are clear, the accumulation of basic grammatical errors causes noticeable distraction and occasional difficulty for the reader.
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.