Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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)

This given map illustrates a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now this time period.

Overall, we can see that before time period no too much adventures rapidally increased in cafe no any Salad bar available in cafe on sitting area along with in the right side Bin area was not huge but now it construct with extra space and increase Recycling bins than before time.

Additionally, It is noticeable that which was in space of staff dining rooms now this changes and Take away food and Coffee bar situated in two partician and one major thing is which is not availabe in old cafe no any Outdoor seating available for sitting students or other residents life sometimes student's family members when they visit at college.Now five tables and 26 chairs apply in beside the cafe area and more thing is in the left side of this area built a Barbecue.

Eventually, some things are same in like Kitchen,Toilets in before time and than now and and thing more noticeable that in Serving area to change name as Hot meals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to address the task by highlighting several changes between the two plans, such as the addition of the salad bar, outdoor seating, and the barbecue area, as well as the transition of the staff dining rooms into a take-away food area and coffee bar. However, the coverage is only partial because key features are either described vaguely or omitted, and the information presented is sometimes unclear or inaccurate regarding positions. For example, the description of the bin area and recycling bins is difficult to follow. The overview is overly simplistic and fails to clearly summarize the main overall trends of the transformation. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to provide a well-developed overview outlining the most striking general changes and ensure all key spatial alterations are reported accurately and clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text demonstrates some basic organization with paragraph breaks used to separate different sections of the visual data. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the arrangement of ideas feels somewhat random rather than logically sequenced. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly, repetitively, or inaccurately, such as the repetitive use of 'Additionally' and 'Eventually' to link sentences. Pronoun referencing and substitution are frequently faulty, making it hard to follow which areas of the cafe are being discussed ('which was in space of staff dining rooms now this changes'). Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within the paragraphs is weak. Improving this criterion requires establishing a logical structure with clear progression and using a wider range of appropriate cohesive links without repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very limited and frequently inappropriate for an academic task, restricting the response's effectiveness. There are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word formation that often cause confusion for the reader, such as 'adventures' instead of changes or additions, 'partician' instead of partitions, and 'apply' instead of placed or installed. The writer relies heavily on basic, repetitive terminology from the prompt and struggles to paraphrase effectively. To achieve a higher score, the student needs to build a much wider and more precise range of vocabulary, demonstrating better control over collocations and less common lexical items related to describing maps and architectural changes, such as 'converted', 'relocated', and 'extended'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences or overly long, convoluted attempts at complex sentences that break down grammatically. There are frequent, persistent errors in basic grammar, including tense usage, missing articles, incorrect prepositions ('in beside the cafe area'), and poor subject-verb agreement ('not any Outdoor seating available'). These frequent errors often cause difficulty for the reader and obscure the intended meaning. To improve, the writer must work on mastering fundamental grammatical patterns, reducing error frequency in basic sentence structures, and exercising greater control over clauses and punctuation when attempting complex sentences.

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

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