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)
The plans compare the layout of a college cafe before and after it was redisgned.
Overall, the cafe has been substantially modernised. The most significant changes are the replacement of staff dining room with several new food and drink outlets, and the addition of a outdoor seating area. The kitchen and the toilets, by contrast, remain same in their original position.
In the previous layout,the kitchen occupied the top-left corner, with a single serving area, which provided all food and drink, locating on its lower edge. Two staff dining rooms,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response is severely under-length, containing only 90 words compared to the required 150-word minimum. This significantly penalises the task achievement score because the student is cut off mid-sentence and fails to fully report all the main features and comparisons. While the introduction and overview correctly identify major changes such as the new food outlets, the outdoor seating area, and the unchanging kitchen and toilets, the body paragraph breaks off abruptly after introducing the previous layout. Because the response is incomplete, it cannot be considered a fully developed overview and summary of the visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text begins with a clear introduction and a well-structured overview paragraph that uses cohesive markers such as 'Overall', 'The most significant changes', and 'by contrast'. The logical progression is initially clear, and referencing is handled adequately. However, because the response cuts off mid-sentence in the second paragraph, the overall structural development is incomplete and paragraphing cannot be fully assessed. The cohesive devices used up to that point are appropriate, but the abrupt termination severely limits coherence across the text as a whole.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate lexical range for the task, successfully using vocabulary items such as 'substantially modernised', 'significant changes', 'replacement', and 'original position'. There is a minor spelling error in the first paragraph ('redisgned' instead of 'redesigned'), but overall, the word choices are appropriate for describing architectural and layout changes. Although the vocabulary is somewhat limited due to the shortness of the response, the terms used are accurate and fit the context well without impeding communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The grammatical structures attempted in the first two paragraphs show good control, combining simple and complex sentences effectively (e.g., 'The plans compare the layout of a college cafe before and after it was redesigned' and 'The kitchen and the toilets, by contrast, remain same in their original position'). There is a minor omission of an article in the second paragraph ('addition of a outdoor seating' instead of 'an outdoor seating'), and 'remain same' should be 'remain the same'. However, the sentences are generally accurate and well-formed up to the point where the text cuts off.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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