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 map shows the difference of before and after of a cafeteria in a College.

Overall, the redesign has brought many improvements all of the factors, as the way how food is served now or if it is the sittings, the things look more sophisticated and well organized. However, the sttaf have lost their designated place with the introduction of take-away food counter and Coffee bar.

Before the change, there was only one serving counter for all kind of foods and drinks

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping abruptly at only 82 words. Consequently, the task is addressed only minimally. While the writer attempts an overview ('the redesign has brought many improvements') and mentions some features such as the food serving areas and staff facilities, the response is severely underdeveloped and incomplete, omitting significant key features of the maps like the outdoor seating, barbecue, and salad bar. To reach a higher level, the writer must ensure the response meets the word count requirement and presents a fully developed summary covering all main features and comparisons shown in the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organization attempted, indicated by the use of an overview marker ('Overall, the redesign...') and a transition ('Before the change...'). However, the overall progression is extremely limited because the text cuts off abruptly after just three incomplete sentences. Paragraphing is not properly managed due to the severe lack of content. To improve, the writer needs to structure the essay into a coherent introduction, a clear overview paragraph, and well-developed body paragraphs that logically sequence details comparing the two maps using appropriate cohesive devices.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate for the short text produced. The student attempts some task-specific vocabulary ('redesign', 'cafeteria', 'serving counter', 'take-away food counter'), but also exhibits noticeable lexical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'difference of before and after', 'all of the factors', and 'sittings' instead of seating. There is also a spelling error ('sttaf'). To achieve a higher score, the writer must expand their vocabulary range and use precise, natural collocations without repetition or word-form inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a very limited range of sentence structures, consisting mostly of basic attempts at complex sentences that contain frequent errors. Examples include awkward syntactic phrasing like 'as the way how food is served now or if it is the sittings'. Grammatical errors and unnatural phrasing cause some difficulty for the reader. To move up, the writer must demonstrate a wider mix of error-free simple and complex structures, paying closer attention to prepositions, article use, and overall clause construction.

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

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