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 both plans compare college cafe before it was redesigned and after. Both of them have the essential areas, for instance, kitche, toilets, bins, tables and chairs.

Nevertheless, the redesign has some advancements fiistly, the bins have been replaced by recycling bins secondly, instead of staff dinning rooms there is a room for take away furthermore, another room for coffee bar, and lastly serving area has been replaced by hot meals area. in addition to this, outdoor seating also has been included in the redesign with exit and entery doors.

however, some additional rooms are also added for example, salad bar and a barbecue.

Overall, the redesign plan has more advancements but it has kept the original theme for example toilets are kept the same or the kitchen has been not replaced but it has added more aesthetics such as salad bar and coffee bar and outdoor seating to maximise the seating space.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of both plans, noting the key changes such as the transformation of the staff dining rooms into a take-away and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar and barbecue, and the introduction of outdoor seating. However, the development is somewhat limited, and certain details are slightly inaccurate (for example, referring to the kitchen as having been replaced or modified when the prompt indicates it remains in the same upper-left location). The overview touches upon the main trends, but the overall structure lacks the depth and extension expected for a higher band. It adequately addresses the prompt, fulfilling the basic requirements for a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into distinct paragraphs, attempting to group ideas logically between the before and after states. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, and the flow is severely hindered by poor punctuation and a lack of capitalization. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively (e.g., 'fiistly', 'secondly', 'furthermore', 'however'), and referencing is sometimes unclear, making the progression difficult to follow at times. This corresponds to the Band 5 descriptors where organization is present, but overall progression and cohesive devices are inadequate and mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with several spelling errors ('kitche', 'fiistly', 'dinning', 'entery') and word-choice inaccuracies. While the writer attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary related to the map features (such as 'recycling bins', 'salad bar', and 'barbecue'), the range remains limited and minimally adequate for the task. The frequent mechanical and spelling errors cause some distraction and strain the reader, aligning closely with a Band 5 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but punctuation is heavily neglected throughout the text, resulting in run-on sentences and a lack of sentence boundaries (e.g., lowercase starting letters mid-text and missing periods). Grammatical control is weak, with errors such as 'The both plans', 'the kitchen has been not replaced', and incorrect prepositions. These frequent errors cause difficulty for the reader and reflect the characteristics of Band 5.

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

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