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 map illustrates that college cafe designed and redesined before and after look. It summarize the following feature comparison between cafe before redesign and today cafe design such as: staff dining rooms, tables, chairs, coffee bar and toilets.
In first map of cafe design showed that there were staff dining rooms, tables and chairs area, bin, and toilet in the hall. In first map a kitchen and serving area where all food and drinks were also available
On the other hand, there is hot meals instead of serving area. In hall, there is take away food and coffee bar present instead of dinning rooms. The salad bar is also present in the hall that was not present in first map. The outdoor seating, barbecue is made outside the hall. In second map recycling bins is present instead of bin.
So, there is huge difference between before and today cafe. In college cafe new areas are added.
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 describe the changes between the two college cafe floor plans, noting key alterations such as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a take-away food counter and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating, and a barbecue area. However, the response suffers from significant weaknesses in task completion. There is no proper overall summary or overview, which is a vital requirement for Academic Task 1. Furthermore, the description is somewhat disjointed and fails to seamlessly integrate comparisons, relying instead on a basic listing of features. The language used to describe spatial relationships is also overly simplistic. Consequently, the response addresses the prompt only partially, leading to a Band 5.5 score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into four brief paragraphs, attempting an introduction, body details, and a brief conclusion. However, logical progression is weak, and the transitions between ideas feel abrupt and mechanical (e.g., 'In first map...', 'On the other hand...', 'So, there is...'). Cohesive devices are used rather repetitively and sometimes inaccurately. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as shifting confusingly between 'first map', 'today cafe', and 'second map'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks smooth flow and cohesive ties, aligning the performance closely with Band 5.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The lexical range is quite limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic vocabulary directly copied or derived from the prompt (e.g., 'cafe', 'redesigned', 'tables', 'chairs', 'kitchen', 'toilets'). There are notable word formation and spelling errors, such as 'redesined' instead of 'redesigned', and unnatural phrasing like 'today cafe design' and 'In first map of cafe design showed'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success, and the vocabulary choices lack the precision and flexibility expected for higher bands. The lexical adequacy is sufficient to communicate basic points, meriting a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mainly of simple sentences and repetitive copular constructions ('There is...', 'There were...'). Attempts at complex or dependent clauses are missing or grammatically flawed, as seen in the opening sentence: 'The map illustrates that college cafe designed and redesined before and after look.' Grammatical errors are frequent, including missing articles ('In first map', 'In hall', 'In second map recycling bins is'), incorrect prepositions, and subject-verb agreement issues ('recycling bins is'). These errors occasionally cause strain for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 profile.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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