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 two maps illustrates how college cafe has undergone through a lot of changes after it has been redesigned.

Overall,the cafe has gone under significant redevelopment with various original features being removed and replaced. The major difference that we can is in the outdoor area where a new sitting area has been introduced.

Towards the norwest side the service area where all food and drinks were accessible is now replaced by hot meals section. In the southwest side a new opening of salad bar have taken place. Towards the centre staff dining demolished and is replaced by take away food and coffee bar.

The major drastic change that have been made after redesgin is that an outdoor sitting area with a lot of tables and chairs has been introduced.

Also,barbecue area has been setup for people who are intrested in outdoor barbecur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the main features of the two maps, noting key changes such as the introduction of an outdoor seating area, the barbecue, and the modifications to the kitchen and serving counters. However, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 142 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. Furthermore, there are several inaccuracies in spatial reporting; for instance, the student states that the service area was towards the 'norwest side', whereas it was originally in the upper-left with the serving area along the southern boundary of the kitchen. Key details like the toilets and recycling bins are omitted. Consequently, this falls under Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text attempts a logical structure with an introduction and some body paragraphs, but the paragraphing is underdeveloped and fragmented (some paragraphs consist of only one or two short sentences). Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, such as the frequent use of directional phrases like 'Towards the norwest side' and 'Towards the centre'. Progression is somewhat disjointed due to the lack of smooth transitions between the spatial descriptions. Reference words are sometimes vague, leading to a mechanical feel in the overall arrangement, placing this performance at Band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate to describe basic physical changes, employing terms like 'redevelopment', 'removed', 'replaced', and 'redesigned'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('norwest', 'redesgin', 'intrested', 'barbecur') and awkward word choices or collocations ('gone under significant redevelopment' instead of 'undergone', 'new opening of salad bar have taken place'). Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision and accuracy, resulting in a Band 5 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is weak throughout. There are persistent errors in subject-verb agreement and tense usage, such as 'The two maps illustrates' and 'the cafe has gone under' instead of 'undergone'. Additionally, fragment sentences and punctuation omissions appear, for example, 'Overall,the cafe' (missing space after comma) and 'Also,barbecue area has been setup'. Complex structures are frequently faulty, leading to frequent errors that require some effort from the reader, matching Band 5 descriptors.

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

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