Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-21

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 4.0)

The plans illustrate a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall, cafe before redesign had the main six parts, while today it consists in the ten parts. Todays, redeveloped in outer part in cafe and it consists in the two main area.

Looking first at, cafe before redesign upper part consists about kitchen and serving area. Now, cafe servicing area was removed and designed hot meals area. In contrast, staff dining room had before cafe and after now it redesigned take away food area and coffee bar. In addition, tables and chairs area were located in before and after cafe redesign.

Mainly, now cafe area newly designed outdoor seating area and barbecue area. Bin compared with now redesign in recycling bin. However, toilets were located in same area and newly design cafe area include in the salad bar area. Mainly, now cafe had redesign mainly in outer part and other parts are redesign.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe the main changes shown in the two maps, noting the transformation of the kitchen counter into a hot meals area, the replacement of the staff dining rooms with a take away food area and coffee bar, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, the task achievement is significantly limited by numerous awkward expressions, vague quantifiers ('the main six parts', 'ten parts'), and a lack of clear, structured comparison. While some key features are mentioned, the overall reporting lacks the precision and breadth expected for a higher band, resulting in an under-developed summary that partially addresses the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The text is organized into paragraphs with basic introductory and body divisions, attempting a spatial progression ('Looking first at...', 'Mainly, now cafe area...'). However, the progression is heavily disrupted by repetitive phrasing, confusing transitions, and awkward sentence structures (e.g., 'Todays, redeveloped in outer part in cafe and it consists in the two main area'). Referencing and cohesive devices are frequently faulty and mechanical, making it difficult for the reader to follow the logical flow of comparisons between the two plans. Paragraphing is attempted but fails to provide a smooth, coherent overall arrangement.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary range is very limited and heavily repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'cafe', 'area', 'parts', and 'redesign'. There are numerous word-formation and collocation errors, such as 'servicing area' instead of 'serving area', 'consists in the ten parts', and 'Bin compared with now redesign in recycling bin'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with a high degree of inaccuracy and unnatural phrasing, which frequently strains the reader and impedes clear communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences contain severe structural errors, awkward word order, and missing or incorrect prepositions (e.g., 'staff dining room had before cafe and after now it redesigned take away food area'). There are almost no error-free sentences, and frequent issues with tense usage and voice (active versus passive) cause considerable difficulty for the reader and obscure the intended meaning of the comparisons.

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

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