Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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 two diagram shows the transfromtaion of a college cafe.

In overall, the cafe has gone through extensive redevelopments.As more food points are introduced. There is a an addition of seating area and a barbeque point outside the cafe. Staff dining room has been replaced by a bar and take away facility. The centred table and chairs and the toilethave remanined the same.

Cafe before the transfromation has a kitchen at the top of the map serving all kind of food and drinks. The table and chairs sit at the centre and just above there are two staff dining rooms.Toilets at the south-east corner of the map and a bin on the right wall.

The cafe today has a kitchen serving only hot meals and outside the kitchen there is a takeaway food section and a coffebar very next to it.

There is also an expanded area at the outside with the barbeque secion. T

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by attempting to summarise the main features of the two maps, but the development is limited. While the student correctly identifies several key changes, such as the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating, and a barbecue area, the overview is brief and somewhat fragmented. Some details are underdeveloped or lack precise location references. For example, stating that 'the table and chairs sit at the centre' misses the wider spatial layout changes. To reach a higher level, the response would need a more fully developed overview that highlights the broader trends of the redevelopment, along with extended and more thorough comparisons between the past and present layouts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation in the response, but it lacks a clear overall progression. The essay is divided into paragraphs, which is a positive feature, but the logical flow between sentences and paragraphs is frequently disrupted. The use of cohesive devices is inadequate and mechanical, with abrupt transitions such as starting sentences with sentence fragments like 'As more food points are introduced' or 'There is a an addition'. Referencing is also weak in places, making it difficult to follow the spatial relationships between features. To improve, the writer should ensure that ideas are linked smoothly using appropriate cohesive markers and maintain a logical, structured progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message. There are noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word formation, such as 'transfromtaion', 'redevelopments.As', 'barbeque secion', and 'coffebar', which occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. The range of vocabulary is restricted largely to direct repetitions of terms from the prompt or basic descriptors. To achieve a higher score, the student needs to demonstrate a wider lexical range by incorporating less common vocabulary and paraphrasing the visual data more naturally, whilst ensuring accurate spelling and correct word forms throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as article omissions ('The two diagram', 'in overall', 'at the outside'), subject-verb agreement issues ('The two diagram shows', 'toilethave remanined'), and punctuation mistakes, including fragmented sentences like 'As more food points are introduced.' and 'There is a an addition'. These errors cause frequent strain and difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer must focus on mastering basic sentence structures, ensuring accurate subject-verb agreement, managing articles correctly, and avoiding sentence fragments.

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

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