Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23
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 given layout illustrates a college cafe before and after it was the restructured .
overall , the layout restructured shows many new changes as before such as outdoor seating , salad bar and barbecue areas has been added . Similarly , serving areas of all food and drinkl are replaced by hot meals area where kitchen and recycling bins areas and toilets has remained the same .
Likewise ,in todays cafe salad bar has added inside the cafe . There we can see take way food and coffee bar has separately made .Meanwhile , tables and chairs are added in the centre of cafe .Also outside the cafe there had been added so many seating areas .
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 response makes a clear attempt to summarise the changes shown in the two maps, identifying major alterations such as the addition of the salad bar, outdoor seating, and barbecue area, alongside elements that remained unchanged like the kitchen and toilets. However, the response fails the minimum length requirement of 150 words, coming in at only 118 words. Furthermore, some details are slightly inaccurate or vague, such as stating that 'serving areas of all food and drinkl are replaced by hot meals area', when the general serving area was reorganised into specific stations like hot meals, take away food, and a coffee bar. Due to the severe under-length penalty and limited development of comparisons, Task Achievement is restricted to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay attempts an overview and paragraph structure, but the formatting and paragraphing are very weak, with overly brief, disjointed sentences and paragraphs. Cohesive devices like 'Similarly', 'Likewise', and 'Meanwhile' are used, but they are often mechanically applied or do not logically connect the clauses in a natural way. Reference words and pronoun use are occasionally confusing, such as 'There we can see take way food and coffee bar has separately made.' Overall arrangement exists because the chronological or comparative layout of the maps is broadly followed, but the lack of fluid progression and poor mechanical cohesion keep this criterion at a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map, using terms like 'outdoor seating', 'salad bar', 'barbecue areas', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'restructured' instead of 'redesigned', 'food and drinkl', 'take way', and awkward phrasing like 'the layout restructured shows many new changes as before'. Vocabulary is repetitive and lacks flexibility. These frequent lexical inaccuracies cause some friction for the reader, justifying a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response contains a very limited range of grammatical structures. The student attempts some complex structures, but these are frequently faulty, such as 'barbecue areas has been added' (subject-verb agreement error), 'serving areas of all food and drinkl are replaced by hot meals area where kitchen and recycling bins areas and toilets has remained the same' (run-on sentence with tense and agreement errors), and 'there had been added so many seating areas'. Punctuation is also erratic, with unnecessary spaces before commas and periods throughout the text. Frequent grammatical errors cause difficulty, pointing clearly to a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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