Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 picture shows the college cafe designed before and after changing main features.

The features change before and after and made in modern form.

Firstly, cafe before redesign consists some features. Big kitchen is situated with serving area in which all food and drink is served .In another side of cafe staff dining rooms , bin , toilets, and tables and chairs.Staff dining rooms are connected to each other and attached with kitchen. There is big hall in which tables and chairs are placed. Bin and tiolets are in another side in the hall .

Cafe today is added some new features like hot meals, salad bar, barbecue , coffee bar, and recycling bins. Now, kitchen is connected with hot meals and two separated rooms which are take away food and coffee bar. Bin is changed into recycling bins and tiolets remain same place. Salad bar is also new in the tables and chairs area. Outdoor seating area and barbecue is also added in cafe today.

Overall, some new features are added in before and after redesign cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main purpose of the plans and report several relevant changes, including the new hot-meals counter, salad bar, coffee bar, recycling bins and outdoor seating. You also correctly note that the toilets remain in the same place. However, the overview is vague: “some new features are added” does not clearly summarise the main transformation, especially the conversion of the staff dining rooms and the addition of an outdoor area. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the staff dining rooms were not attached to the kitchen, and the barbecue is outside beside the outdoor seating, rather than simply a feature added inside the café. To strengthen the response, compare the old and new layouts more precisely and include the new southern doors and outdoor tables.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, moving from the former café to its current layout, and words such as “Firstly,” “Now” and “Overall” help signal stages. The reader can generally follow the description. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven: the first paragraph lists several features without a clear spatial route, while the second combines changes to counters, bins and outdoor facilities. Some links are repetitive or unclear, particularly “The features change before and after” and “Overall, some new features are added in before and after redesign cafe.” Organise the details by location—for example, north wall, central area, then outside—and use clear comparisons such as “whereas” or “in contrast” to connect old and new features.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bins” and “outdoor seating,” which helps convey the plan’s contents. However, the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or repetitive, such as “some new features,” “another side” and “big hall.” There are also noticeable word-choice and spelling problems, including “tiolets” and the awkward phrase “designed before and after changing main features.” These sometimes make the description less clear. Aim for precise spatial and change-related language, and check spelling carefully. For example, distinguish between facilities that were retained, replaced, relocated or added, rather than describing all changes simply as new features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a few longer structures, such as “Now, kitchen is connected with hot meals and two separated rooms which are take away food and coffee bar,” but these are often faulty. Errors in articles, verb forms and sentence construction occur throughout: “cafe before redesign consists some features,” “Cafe today is added some new features,” and “tiolets remain same place.” Several sentences also lack clear grammatical links between listed items, as in “In another side of cafe staff dining rooms, bin, toilets, and tables and chairs.” These problems can make relationships between features difficult to understand. Practise accurate basic sentence patterns first, then add controlled comparisons, such as “The toilets remain in the same place, while the former staff rooms have become a takeaway area and coffee bar.”

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