Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 layout illustrates the comparison a college cafe before redesign and how it looks at present. Overall, the area at tables and chairs modified with take away , cofee bar and salad bar. Also, an additional outdoor setup are constructed.

The severing area for all food and drinks at nort west side is now repalced with hot meals. In the center, tables and chairs section had staff dinning rooms, which is now reconstructed with take away food and coffe bar for the individuals visiting the cafe. Whereas, on the west side of the center area a salad bar is built.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant changes, including the replacement of the serving area with hot meals and the addition of takeaway food, a coffee bar and a salad bar. However, the report covers only part of the plans: it omits the outdoor seating and barbecue, the new southern doors, the recycling bins, and the fact that the toilets and central seating remain. The overview is also unclear: “the area at tables and chairs modified” does not explain the main pattern of change. At 100 words, the response is 50 words below the required minimum, which contributes to the limited coverage and under-developed comparisons. Describe the main changes and unchanged features, then support them with accurate location details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an opening overview followed by a paragraph describing changes, and it uses some linking language such as “Overall,” “Also,” and “Whereas.” This gives the reader a general sense of the topic. However, progression is limited because the report stops after describing changes in the northern and western parts of the café, without moving systematically through the remaining features. “Whereas” introduces a fragment rather than a complete contrast, and “In the center” is confusing because the staff dining rooms were along the north wall, not in the central area. Organise the comparison by location or by changed versus unchanged features, and use clear links between complete sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “hot meals,” “take away food,” “coffee bar,” and “salad bar,” so the reader can identify several redesigned facilities. However, the range is limited and several spelling errors make the writing less clear, including “severing,” “repalced,” “cofee,” and “dinning.” Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “outdoor setup” and “for the individuals visiting the cafe.” Use accurate plan vocabulary and consistent forms, for example “outdoor seating area” and “café customers.” Careful proofreading of spelling and choosing precise terms for facilities would make the description more fluent and easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few different sentence patterns, including a contrast introduced by “Whereas,” but control is inconsistent and the range remains limited. The opening sentence is missing a preposition and article: “illustrates the comparison a college cafe” should be “compares a college café.” The overview also has agreement and sentence-structure problems in “an additional outdoor setup are constructed,” while “tables and chairs section had staff dining rooms” does not express the relationship between the areas clearly. The final “Whereas” clause is incomplete. Practise complete sentences with accurate subject–verb agreement and past-to-present comparisons, such as “The staff dining rooms were replaced by a takeaway counter and coffee bar.”

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