Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28
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 first demonstrate the old look of a college cafe, then the new look after it was revamped. Numerous additions and changes took place in the cafe.
At first, a new outdoor seating, a coffee bar, a salad bar, barbecue, a take away food corner, and recycling bins replacing normal bins were introduced in the redesigned cafe. While the old cafe consisted of staff dining rooms, a serving area for all food and drinks, a casual indoor seating area with chairs and tables, a bin, and toilets.
The new cafe shows a structured designing which fascinates the public with its amazing ambiance. Meals are served hot from the kitchen, there is also a separate barbecue setting which outshines the cafe. The outdoor seating lets people enjoy the weather, and they delight themselves with amazing food. The take away food section helps people to save their time by getting their food without waiting in the lines.
To conclude, the revamped cafe is much better than the old one.
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 addresses the prompt by outlining the main changes between the two plans of the college cafe. However, the interpretation suffers significantly because the student adopts an inappropriate subjective and evaluative tone ('structured designing which fascinates the public with its amazing ambiance') rather than objective reporting. Furthermore, the description of the old layout is inaccurate in places, such as stating that the old cafe consisted of 'staff dining rooms' as a present introduction or listing elements haphazardly. While key features like the outdoor seating, coffee bar, salad bar, and barbecue are mentioned, the lack of a proper overview and the inclusion of subjective opinions pull the score down to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is divided into four short paragraphs, which gives a semblance of structure. However, the logical progression is weak. The second paragraph awkwardly contrasts the new additions with the old cafe features using a fragment starting with 'While the old cafe...'. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate ('At first', which is inappropriate for a static map comparison). Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas lacks clear progression, particularly in the third paragraph where descriptive map features transition into subjective commentary. This places the response firmly in the Band 5.0 range for cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate to convey basic concepts related to the maps, such as 'outdoor seating', 'coffee bar', 'salad bar', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are notable lexical limitations and awkward collocations, such as 'revamped cafe', 'structured designing', and 'barbecue setting'. The student also relies on repetitive phrasing and lacks a sophisticated range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, though the choice of words is sufficient to be understood. This aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, such as the concessive clause in 'While the old cafe consisted of...'. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including sentence fragments ('At first, a new outdoor seating... were introduced') and punctuation issues. Errors are frequent enough to cause some distraction for the reader, though they do not completely obscure the meaning. The control over grammar is characteristic of Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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