Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18
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 show the before and results of college cafe whwen it is redesigned. There are many facilities that are added in the cafe when it is redesigned. Overall, cafe is more attractive for customers now.
Before, the cafe has two staff dinning rooms along with few chairs and tables in the hall. There is a toilet in the corner and bin infront of the toilet. There is a kitchen on top corner of the cafe all these features are the cafe before it is redesigned.
After changing, the kitchen is on the same place but the food options include hot meals. Two staff rooms converted into coffee bar and take away food. However, the toilet and recycling bin are on the same place after changing. There is a option of salad bar introduced after changing and outdoor seating is also introduced along with barbecue in the garden of the cafe.
The cafe has introduced many facilities for customers and also these facilities are mandotary for the cafe and customers.
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 student attempts to address the prompt by describing the main changes between the two college café plans. While the overview mentions that the café is now more attractive and has more facilities, the response lacks a fully developed summary of the overall spatial transformation. Several key features are reported, such as the addition of the salad bar, outdoor seating, and barbecue area, alongside the conversion of the staff rooms into a coffee bar and takeaway area. However, the details are somewhat basic and repetitive, and the description does not synthesize the data effectively. This aligns with the Band 5 descriptor, where the task is addressed only partially and ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into four paragraphs, attempting to follow a logical progression from an introduction to body paragraphs detailing specific changes and a brief concluding remark. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical and disjointed. Cohesive devices are minimal or repetitive, frequently relying on phrases like 'Before, the cafe has...', 'After changing...', and 'There is a...'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion is weak due to repetitive sentence structures and simplistic transitions. This performance is characteristic of Band 5, where there is some organization but a lack of clear overall progression and adequate cohesive devices.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive throughout the response. The student frequently repeats terms like 'cafe', 'facilities', 'changed', and 'introduced'. There are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'whwen' for when, 'dinning' for dining, 'infront' for in front, and 'mandotary' for mandatory. Less common lexical items are attempted minimally, such as 'outdoor seating' and 'barbecue', but the overall range is limited and adequate only for very basic communication. This fits the Band 5 descriptor, where the lexical resource is limited with noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.
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 tense inconsistencies and errors, such as 'the cafe has two staff dinning rooms' (using present tense for a past description) and 'the kitchen is on the same place'. Punctuation and article usage are also flawed throughout the text. Complex structures are often faulty and frequent errors persist, causing some difficulty in reading. This corresponds to the Band 5 descriptor, which highlights a limited range of structures and frequent errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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