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)

my collage cafe before was very simple and simplicity before they are just serving all food and drinks and there were a staff dining rooms right next to the cafe kitchen and on hallways there were sitting arrangements for the students and there were only one bin were placed there. There is also a toilets for students and now my collage were look a very different and iconic and there were hot meals serving and when food is ready we can take away food and they also add coffee bar and salad bar which was very useful for students and many more recyclling bins were also added and there were also a barbecue corner. There were also outdoor seating arrangements for the students who wants to sit outside. We really enjoyed our meals in our collage cafe with many more facilities to get the meals we loved very much and appreciate.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by outlining some of the main changes between the two floor plans, such as the addition of a coffee bar, salad bar, outdoor seating, and barbecue area. However, the information is presented in a limited and somewhat repetitive way. The position or overview is not entirely clear, as the description reads more like a personal narration ('my collage cafe before was very simple') rather than an objective academic report. Some key features, such as the relocation of the food counters and the replacement of staff rooms with take-away facilities, are mentioned only briefly and lack full development. To reach a higher level, you should provide a clear overview outlining the main overarching changes and report the spatial transformations more precisely without relying on personal anecdotes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic level of organisation, but the response lacks an overall progression and clear paragraph structure, being presented as one long, run-on block of text. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, and occasionally inaccurate, heavily relying on coordinating conjunctions like 'and' to string ideas together (e.g., 'and now my collage were look a very different... and they also add... and there were also...'). Referencing is also faulty in places, making it difficult to follow the logical development of ideas across the two maps. To improve, you need to divide your report into distinct paragraphs—typically an introduction with an overview followed by body paragraphs grouping the changes logically—and use a wider, more accurate range of cohesive devices to guide the reader smoothly from point to point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. There are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as repeatedly writing 'collage' instead of 'college', 'recyclling' with an extra letter, and phrasing like 'were look a very different and iconic'. The range of vocabulary is restricted mostly to basic terms found directly in the prompt or simple descriptions, with little successful attempt at less common lexical items appropriate for an academic report. To achieve a higher band, you need to expand your vocabulary range, use precise synonyms for describing spatial changes (e.g., 'transformed', 'converted', 'relocated'), and ensure accurate spelling and word formation throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response shows a very limited range of structures and frequent grammatical errors. Most sentences are simple or poorly constructed compound clauses joined by 'and', and attempts at complex structures are often faulty. There are persistent errors in verb forms, tenses, agreement, and prepositions, such as 'before they are just serving', 'there were a staff dining rooms', 'there were only one bin were placed', and 'who wants to sit outside' (referring to plural students). These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve your grammar score, you should practise forming error-free complex sentences, maintain consistent past and present tense control when comparing past and present data, and pay close attention to subject-verb agreement and article use.

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

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