Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30
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 plan illustrates the changes made to a café before and after the modifications.
Overall, the biggest changes are in the outdoor seating area. Most of the tables and chairs have been occupied in the café.
To begin with, the kitchen was staying constant with place in the west before the redesigning. Both the food and drink with most mentioned menu nowadays, they made an area with hot meals, which is easily identified. Similar to this, they replaced the east-side property name with a bin after modification. It was replaced with a recycling bin.
Turning to the north side, staff dining rooms were developed to take away food, and the coffee bar was built. Opposite to the salad bar was designed. Respectively, to tables and chairs, toilets were in the same property.
On the south side, the outdoor seating was arranged. Beside there, there is a barbecue designed in the new café with large, spacious areas for citizens.
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 attempts to describe the changes to the college cafe, but it struggles significantly with accurately reporting the visual data. While it notes the outdoor seating and the kitchen location, many details are misread or confusingly expressed. For instance, the statement that 'most of the tables and chairs have been occupied' misinterprets the static layout features shown in the diagrams. Furthermore, the description of the new facilities, such as the salad bar and takeaway food areas, is fragmented and lacks a clear, comprehensive overview of the main trends or transformations. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, earning a band score of 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, which provides a basic structural framework. However, the logical progression between sentences is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and confusing references. Phrases like 'To begin with' and 'Turning to the north side' attempt to guide the reader, but the internal cohesion within sentences often fails. For example, 'Opposite to the salad bar was designed' is grammatically disjointed and fails to link clearly to the surrounding spatial descriptions. Paragraphing is present, but overall the organization lacks smooth progression and cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, leading to a band score of 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is quite basic and repetitive, with noticeable limitations and inappropriate word choices. Terms like 'east-side property name' and phrases like 'the kitchen was staying constant with place' do not sound natural or precise in an academic description of architectural plans. While the student attempts to name some specific features from the prompts (e.g., 'hot meals', 'coffee bar', 'salad bar'), the overall lexical range is narrow and inadequate for flexible reporting. Word choice errors frequently obscure the precise meaning, corresponding to a band score of 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Simple sentences dominate, and attempts at more complex structures frequently result in serious errors, such as 'Both the food and drink with most mentioned menu nowadays, they made an area with hot meals'. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are sometimes handled adequately, but frequent grammatical errors—such as incorrect prepositions ('with place in the west', 'to tables and chairs') and awkward passive constructions ('a barbecue designed')—cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and impede clear communication. This performance aligns with a band score of 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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