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 diagrams compare the layout of two college cafe before and after renovation. Overall the cafe become more modren and convenient. Several new food srevice area were added. The staff dining area was 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 was 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 a barbecue. The tables and chairs are remained same on 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 student attempts to address the task by comparing the layout of the college cafe before and after the renovation. Several key features are correctly identified, such as the replacement of staff dining rooms with a takeaway food and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating, a barbecue, and recycling bins. However, the response falls short in several areas. The summary of the 'before' layout is brief and contains inaccuracies, such as stating 'the kitchen were placed' and mislocating some features. Furthermore, the overview provided in the introduction is very basic ('the cafe become more modren and convenient'). Because some ideas are slightly under-developed and lack precise spatial referencing, this performance aligns with Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is divided into short paragraphs representing the introduction, the 'before' layout, and the 'after' layout, which provides a basic organisational structure. However, paragraphing and overall cohesion are rather mechanical and choppy. Phrases like 'Before the redesinged' and 'After the cafe were redesigned' are used repetitively to transition between ideas. Additionally, referencing is sometimes unclear, and the lack of advanced cohesive devices limits the overall flow. Progression is noticeable between the two time frames, but the erratic sentence structures hinder smooth readability. This reflects the characteristics of Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate basic features of the diagrams, using terms like 'renovation', 'takeaway food', 'coffee bar', and 'recycling bin'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-choice errors throughout the response, such as 'modren' instead of modern, 'srevice' instead of service, 'redesinged' instead of redesigned, and 'entrence' instead of entrance. The student attempts some less common vocabulary with limited success and lacks precision in collocation. These errors occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the cafe become', 'the kitchen were placed', 'The toilet is... and having a entrence', 'The staff dining rooms was replaced'), incorrect article usage, and prepositions ('placed in the outside'). Punctuation is also erratic in places. While some simple sentences are communicated clearly, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors means the response sits firmly within Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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