Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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 below show a college cafe before it was rebuild and how it looks now. overall the design of kitchen after the some alternation is looking good its has more space than the old cafe the new cafe have barbecue area that the cafe new look . new design have some outdoor seating . IN old cafe design serving area in kitchen but in new design it replace with hot meals. staff dining rooms change with take away food & coffee bar and also create a new bar name as salad bar in tables and chairs area. single bin replace with recycling bins , For some party events the outdoor area open, where we do some barbecue activity. In look wise both of the design are okay, but the new design of cafe has more space than other design of cafe. Students like the new design of college cafe because they like the outdoor seating area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Note that the response is 3 words short of the 150-word minimum requirement (10 words copied directly from the prompt were not counted). The response addresses the task only partially. While some key features are noted—such as the change from staff dining rooms to a takeaway food and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, and the new outdoor seating area with a barbecue—the information is presented in a limited and somewhat repetitive manner. The writer attempts to make comparisons, stating that the new cafe has more space, but the lack of development and the failure to meet the minimum word count keep this section at a partial level of achievement. To improve, ensure all instructions are followed regarding length, and select and report the main features with clearer, more structured comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response shows some basic attempts at organization, but information and ideas are not arranged coherently. There is no clear paragraphing, as the entire text is presented as a single dense block of text, making it difficult to follow a logical progression. Cohesive devices are either inadequate, repetitive, or missing altogether, and referencing is often unclear (for example, switching abruptly between descriptions of the kitchen, outdoor areas, and bins without smooth transitions). To achieve a higher band, you must use clear paragraphing, separating your introduction, overview, and body details, and employ a wider range of appropriate cohesive devices to link your sentences and ideas logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. The writer relies heavily on basic, repetitive words and terms directly lifted from the prompt (e.g., 'college cafe', 'redesign', 'tables and chairs'). There are also notable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'rebuild' instead of 'rebuilding' or 'redesign', 'some alternation' instead of 'alteration' or 'modification', and 'bar name as salad bar'. These inaccuracies and limited word choices occasionally cause confusion for the reader. To improve, you should expand your range of vocabulary by incorporating less common lexical items and synonyms specifically tailored to describing changes in diagrams, such as 'transformed', 'converted', and 'relocated'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent structural errors. There are multiple grammatical mistakes throughout the text, including tense and verb form errors ('before it was rebuild', 'the design of kitchen... is looking good its has'), missing articles ('in old cafe design', 'new design have some outdoor seating'), and faulty subject-verb agreement. Punctuation is also poorly managed, with run-on sentences and erratic capitalization. These frequent errors often cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence structures, ensuring correct verb tenses and forms, and paying close attention to prepositions and articles.

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

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