Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

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 Plan illestrates a coffee place of a college today how it presents now compare to the one before redesigning.

Overall, outdoor barbecue area and seating is added and serving area for all food and beverages in the old cafè is replaced by hot meals and added salad bar and made Bin area bigger respected to old design.

In the kitchen area food and drink presented area is replaced by high temperature food, and staff dining rooms are converted to two rooms seprated by partition. One is take away food and another is coffe bar.

Salad bar added in the hall of tables and chairs and on the right side recycling bin made bigger.

Toilets remained unchanged. There is also one more big addition of outdoor seating with a setup of Barbecue to enjoy it with nature. outside arrangements are made with sitting of three tables on one side and two on the another side.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses the task by describing the main changes between the college cafe before redesign and its current layout, including the addition of the outdoor seating and barbecue, the new salad bar, and the conversion of the staff rooms. However, the overview is rather weak and integrated awkwardly into the first sentence, and some details are imprecise, such as referring to the serving area as 'high temperature food' rather than hot meals. Furthermore, the description contains some minor inaccuracies in positioning and lacks a fully developed comparative structure across paragraphs. It satisfies the basic requirements of Academic Task 1, but development is limited in places, leading to a Band 5.5 score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response attempts a logical progression by moving from a brief introduction and overall statement into specific structural changes within and outside the cafe. However, paragraphing is poorly handled; the text is divided into very short, disjointed blocks rather than cohesive analytical paragraphs. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes misused, such as 'Today how it presents now' and 'respected to old design'. Reference pronouns and logical connectors lack smooth flow, making the overall structure feel choppy and mechanical. This corresponds to a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to spatial changes, such as 'redesigning', 'partition', 'recycling bin', and 'outdoor seating'. However, there are numerous word choice errors and awkward collocations throughout the text, including 'coffee place of a college', 'food and drink presented area', 'high temperature food', and 'sitting of three tables'. Spelling errors are also present, such as 'illestrates' and 'seprated'. The range is sufficient for the task, but frequent inaccuracies place it at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and syntax is weak. There are frequent errors in verb tense, voice, and prepositions, such as 'how it presents now compare to the one before redesigning', 'serving area ... is replaced', and 'recycling bin made bigger'. Relative clauses and passive constructions are often awkwardly formed or missing necessary auxiliary verbs. While meaning is generally recoverable despite these errors, the high frequency of grammatical slips prevents the response from achieving a Band 6.0.

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

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