Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22
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 given below illustrate the college cafe before its redesign and after the renovation.
Overall, the cafe has undergone substantial changes, the former saff dining rooms are significantly transformed into take away food and coffee bar. Several new facilities are introduced such as a salad bar, barbecue area, and outside sitting area. However, the kitchen and toilets remain unchanged.
Before the modification, there was a serving area for all food and drinks behind the kitchen later changed into an area for hot meals only. The bin is changed into recycling bin which is a good initiative to promote the concept of recycling items.
After the alteration, the outside sitting area is introduced with a barbecue area. However, the kitchen remained unchanged.
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 summarise the main features of the college cafe before and after the redesign, mentioning 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, barbecue area, and outdoor seating. An overview is provided in the second paragraph. However, the response falls short of the word count requirement, reaching only 122 words against the 150-word minimum, which impacts the overall development of the task. Additionally, there are minor descriptive inaccuracies; for instance, the text states that the kitchen and toilets 'remain unchanged' in the second paragraph, but later contradicts this or misses the exact nuances, and editorial commentary is added ('which is a good initiative to promote the concept of recycling items'), which is inappropriate for an academic task. These factors limit the score to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is organised into short paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body details. However, the paragraphing is fragmented, with single-sentence paragraphs appearing in the body (e.g., 'Before the modification...' and 'After the alteration...'). Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes repetitive or mechanically applied ('However', 'After the alteration'). Although there is a discernible progression from the introduction to specific spatial changes, the overall logical flow and paragraph structure feel disjointed and underdeveloped due to the brevity of the response. Referencing is generally clear, but the weak macro-organisation keeps this criterion at a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic description, incorporating relevant terms from the prompt such as 'redesign', 'renovation', 'facilities', 'salad bar', and 'recycling bin'. The student attempts some less common phrasing ('substantial changes', 'significantly transformed'), but also makes a spelling error ('saff' instead of 'staff') and includes subjective, non-academic commentary ('a good initiative'). Word choice is occasionally imprecise, such as 'outside sitting area' instead of 'outdoor seating' (though the prompt uses both). The range is sufficient to communicate the main points but lacks precision and flexibility, fitting Band 5.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Overall, the cafe has undergone substantial changes, the former saff dining rooms are significantly transformed into take away food and coffee bar.' This sentence contains a comma splice. There are other instances of awkward phrasing and minor grammatical lapses, but sentences generally remain comprehensible. A limited range of complex structures is attempted, but control is inconsistent. Because errors occur frequently relative to the short length of the text and impede full grammatical fluency, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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