Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · 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 4.0)
The given picture show the before and after the college cafe. The cafe was redesign before.
Overall, it can be clearly seen that, the before and after improvements of cafe areas. The cafe was simple and un-organised before. There are unmanageable area. After the complete cafe there are add some new sitting area like baebecue,salad bar and hot meals, or the another part the staff dinning rooms are changein take away food and coffee bar.
The cafe was before unmanageable and not really well organised. The design of cafe is rectangular. At the top of the bottom there are one kitchen and its opposite side serving area is located. Furthermore, the western side have one small bin area. the staff dining rooms are two partation in circular way and mid are have lots of tables and chairs.
The improvemtns of cafe is very asthetic way. The cafe is very beautiful and many things are included than before. Hot meals area, salad bar barbecue and outdoor seating area are added in cafe.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The student attempts to address the task by describing the changes shown in the two floor plans of the college cafe. However, the response fails to fully cover all main features and comparisons. While some alterations are mentioned—such as the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating, and a barbecue area, as well as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a take-away food counter and coffee bar—the details are poorly structured and somewhat disjointed. Furthermore, the overview attempted in the second paragraph is weak and lacks clarity. The description relies heavily on subjective and imprecise language rather than objective reporting of spatial changes. This places the response firmly at Band 4.0 as it touches upon the prompt but provides minimal and underdeveloped information.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The response shows severe deficiencies in organisation and logical progression. While paragraphs are attempted, the internal cohesion within them is frequently faulty or mechanical. Sentences are often disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow a clear spatial or logical path from the 'before' to the 'after' plan. Transitional devices are either missing or misused (e.g., 'At the top of the bottom', 'or the another part'). Referencing is also unclear in places, and paragraphing is arbitrary and ineffective. Overall, the ideas are not arranged coherently, which aligns with the Band 4 descriptor for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.0
Vocabulary is basic, highly repetitive, and frequently inaccurate. The student uses very simple terms ('picture', 'cafe', 'things') and struggles with word choice and spelling throughout the essay (e.g., 'un-organised', 'unmanageable', 'baebecue', 'changein', 'improvemtns', 'asthetic'). Attempts to use less common vocabulary result in non-standard collocations or incomprehensible phrasing. The lexical range is severely restricted and inadequate for an Academic Task 1 response, resulting in a Band 4.0 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
Grammatical control is extremely weak. The response contains a very limited range of structures, consisting mostly of simple sentences that are frequently ungrammatical. There are persistent errors in basic verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, prepositions, and sentence construction (e.g., 'The given picture show', 'The cafe was redesign before', 'There are unmanageable area', 'the western side have one'). These frequent errors cause significant strain for the reader and distort meaning, matching the Band 4 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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