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)

In picture repersents college cafe infrasurcture before and days.

It is crystal clear that the college cafe has been upgraded and add different facilites for workers and students. The southn part of the cafe is used for services after redesing.

In recent time the kitchen areas was till in there but the serving area (all food & drink ) has separed in the part of three categare but to day yi is hot meals sector. They keeped perviouse staff dining rooms and oppsite site of the bin. The tables and chairs are same as it remain before. The westen site of the cafe also remain same but the bin rename as recycling bins and the toilets is in same palce.

The college add the land for barbeue and outdoor seating were teachers and students can eat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response achieves a partial overview of the maps, noting that the college cafe has been upgraded and expanded with new facilities like outdoor seating. However, the length requirement of at least 150 words is not met, as the response contains only 136 words. Furthermore, the selection of features is limited, and some descriptions of the changes are unclear or inaccurate, such as stating that the serving area has been separated into three categories or describing the previous staff dining rooms incorrectly. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to ensure the minimum word count is satisfied and provide a more thorough, accurate account of the key transformations shown in the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response demonstrates some attempt at organization, opening with an introductory sentence and grouping a few details into brief paragraphs, but there is no clear overall progression of information. Paragraphing is rudimentary, with a very short concluding paragraph that is poorly linked to the rest of the text. Cohesive devices are minimal, inadequate, and sometimes confusingly deployed, as seen in expressions like "In recent time the kitchen areas was till in there" or "oppsite site of the bin". Referencing between sentences is often unclear, meaning the reader struggles to follow which specific areas of the cafe are being contrasted. To improve, the writer should use clearer logical transitions and structure the response into a logical sequence of introduction, overview, and body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task, containing noticeable lexical errors that frequently impede communication. Examples of lexical and spelling inaccuracies include 'repersents', 'infrasurcture', 'facilites', 'southn', 'redesing', 'categare', 'yi', 'perviouse', 'oppsite', and 'barbeue'. There are also awkward collocations, such as 'add the land for barbeue'. While the writer attempts some task-specific vocabulary related to the maps, the high frequency of word-choice errors, misspellings, and distorted word forms restricts the precision of the response. To progress, the student must expand their active vocabulary, pay closer attention to word formation, and check their spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Grammatical control is weak, featuring a very limited range of sentence structures and frequent errors. Simple sentences tend to be basic, and attempts at more complex or descriptive sentences are consistently faulty, such as in 'were teachers and students can eat' or 'the toilets is in same palce'. There are frequent errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, including 'The college add the land' and 'the kitchen areas was till in there'. Punctuation is also problematic in places. These errors often cause difficulty for the reader in interpreting the intended meaning. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to improve sentence construction accuracy, ensure correct verb tense consistency across past and present comparisons, and check basic grammatical agreements.

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

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