Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17
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)
This map shows the cafe of the college before and after the redesign and hoe it looks today.They are also increase the area of the cafe.
Overall, before redesign the cafe its has only small area which contains a kitchen, serving area, staff dinning rooms, a compact hall for table and chairs, a bin and tiolets and today cafe are redesigned and they also increase the are of the cafe and build more blocks such as salad bar coffee bar as well as barbecue.
Firstly, the main chainging are that th serving area is demolished and replaced by a hot meals section and the rooms which are availble for the staff can be divided into two section. One section is for coffee bar and the second one is for take away food. Also, they increase the area of recycle bins.
Secondly, they also add up the outdoor seating arrangements and near to it they make a seperate section for barbecue.Moreover, In the main hall they also build a bar for salad. These are the changing occurs in the cafe
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The candidate addresses the prompt by attempting to summarise the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign. An overview is provided, noting the addition of new sections and expansion. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and misinterpretations based on the visual data. For instance, the maps do not show an increase in the overall physical area of the cafe building itself, but rather a reorganisation of existing internal spaces and the addition of external features like outdoor seating and a barbecue. Furthermore, the phrasing is repetitive, and some features are described vaguely. While the main changes are identified, the development is limited and marred by factual misreadings of the plan. This performance aligns best with Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response shows some organisational structure with basic introductory and body paragraphs, using transition markers such as 'Firstly' and 'Secondly'. However, the logical progression is hindered by poor referencing and weak cohesive ties, such as 'They are also increase' and 'These are the changing occurs'. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences often feel disjointed and mechanically linked rather than flowing naturally. Pronoun referencing is frequently unclear (e.g., 'They' used repeatedly without a clear antecedent). Overall, the cohesive devices are inadequate and repetitive, placing this response firmly in the Band 5 category.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple terms like 'area', 'cafe', and 'section'. There are several noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'hoe it looks today', 'dinning rooms', 'chainging', and 'recycle bins' instead of 'recycling bins'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary (e.g., 'demolished', 'arrangements') are undermined by spelling mistakes and inaccurate usage. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey a general meaning, the noticeable errors and limited range restrict the score to Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and attempted complex sentences, but grammatical control is weak throughout. There are frequent and systematic errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, and word formation, such as 'the cafe its has only small area', 'today cafe are redesigned', 'rooms which are availble for the staff can be divided', and 'they also add up'. Punctuation and capitalisation errors are also present. These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and demonstrate a limited range of reliable structures, fitting the Band 5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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