Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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)

Before the renovation of the cafe it looks very normal and ordinary.There is no proper outdoor sitting, Barbecue area,coffee bar and take away section.Cafe also have only one entrance that may cause suffocation for costumer's.Staff dinning room cover's lot of space for no reason.Cafe don't have proper recycling bins before the cafe redesigned.

After the redesigning of cafe kitchen is properly organized also add hot meal section.Salad bar in front of the kitchen seems very interesting and eye-catching for costumer's.Three new entrances of the cafe is helpful for the ventilation and overall environment.By adding outdoor seating cafe have more space for costumer's.Barbecue bar in outdoor seating adds aesthetic value in the cafe.

Now they have proper recycling bins near to the toilet that improve's environment of the whole cafe. Separate Take away area is a very good addition for the costumers moreover coffee bar help to improve the beauty of whole cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to compare the two plans of the college cafe, identifying key additions such as the salad bar, outdoor seating, barbecue area, and recycling bins. However, the response falls short of an academic tone and suffers from a lack of objective data summary, relying instead on subjective commentary such as 'looks very normal and ordinary' and 'adds aesthetic value'. Furthermore, some descriptions are inaccurate or poorly contextualized, such as stating there were 'three new entrances' when only doors to the outdoor seating were added alongside existing entry points. The overview is weak, and the response lacks a clear, structured summary of the overall transformations. Consequently, it fits the descriptor for Band 5, where information is selected but the reporting is limited, subjective, and under-developed for an Academic Task 1 response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is divided into three short paragraphs, but the organization lacks clear overall progression. While the first paragraph attempts a 'before' description and the subsequent paragraphs focus on changes, the transitions between ideas are mechanical and often abrupt. Cohesive devices are minimal or misused, and referencing is sometimes unclear (e.g., jumping between the kitchen, entrances, and recycling bins without smooth logical flow). Paragraphing is also somewhat arbitrary, with the third paragraph consisting of only two sentences that blend disparate features like recycling bins and the coffee bar. This lack of sophisticated cohesion and logical progression aligns with a Band 5 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is quite basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple adjectives like 'proper', 'good', and 'nice' (e.g., 'proper outdoor sitting', 'proper recycling bins'). There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'costumer's' instead of 'customers', 'staff dinning room cover's lot of space', and 'Barbecue bar' instead of 'Barbecue area'. While the candidate attempts some topic-specific terms like 'renovation', 'ventilation', and 'recycling bins', the overall lexical range is limited and inadequate for a higher band. The numerous errors in word formation, spelling (e.g., 'costumer's' repeated), and collocation restrict the score to Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mostly of simple sentences or faulty complex attempts. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense inconsistencies (e.g., 'Before the renovation... it looks', 'Cafe also have'), missing auxiliary verbs ('Cafe don't have'), subject-verb agreement errors ('Staff dinning room cover's', 'improve's environment'), and punctuation mistakes, notably the apostrophe misuse in plural/possessive forms ('costumer's'). These persistent errors frequently distract the reader and demonstrate poor control over basic and complex structures alike, fitting the Band 5 descriptor.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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