Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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 4.5)

The picture that show the previous structure of cafe had serving area, where cook who would make the dishes and then put them on the serving area have been changed into hot meal. They have also put an addition to cafe by opening outdoor seating too where there is a barbecue area too. They also also added salad area indie the cafe too . Previously there used to be only bin for throwing garbage but now they have changed it into recycling bins which is a brilliant idea to recycle stuff. They also used to have staff dining room but now they have changed them into two new portion. One is the take away food, for those who dont have time to sit and eat, they can just take their food to offices ,universities, etc. The second portion is a coffee bar, for those who only wants to drink coffee.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to cover the main changes shown in the two maps, noting the transformation of the serving area into a hot meal counter, the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue, a salad bar inside, recycling bins, and the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a take-away food counter and a coffee bar. However, the response lacks a proper overall summary or overview, which is a key requirement for Academic Task 1. Furthermore, the writing relies heavily on subjective commentary rather than objective reporting of data, as seen in phrases like 'which is a brilliant idea to recycle stuff' and speculating on why students use the take-away counter. The format is also presented as a single unstructured paragraph rather than a well-organized report, limiting the development of task achievement to a Band 5.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The entire response is written as a single, dense block of text without paragraph breaks, making it difficult to follow the logical progression of information. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, or awkward (e.g., 'They have also put', 'They also also added', 'Previously there used to be... but now'). Although the writer attempts to contrast the before and after states, the lack of paragraphing and poor management of referencing (such as 'The picture that show the previous structure of cafe') results in a mechanical structure. There is no clear organizational framework separating the internal changes from the external additions. This performance aligns with Band 4.0 descriptors for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with noticeable errors in word choice and morphology. Examples include 'picture' instead of 'maps' or 'plans', 'cook' instead of 'kitchen staff', 'addition' used as a noun incorrectly ('an addition to cafe'), and spelling/typographical errors like 'indie' instead of 'inside'. While the candidate attempts some less common vocabulary related to the prompt (e.g., 'recycling bins', 'barbecue area', 'take away food'), the high frequency of lexical inaccuracies and restricted range limits the score to Band 4.5. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey basic facts, but errors frequently distract the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The picture that show', 'those who only wants'), missing articles (e.g., 'structure of cafe', 'serving area', 'salad area'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'where cook who would make the dishes and then put them on the serving area have been changed'). Punctuation is also problematic, with run-on sentences and erratic commas. Because errors are persistent and occasionally impede smooth reading, the grammar performance sits firmly within Band 4.0.

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