Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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 two diagrams illustrate the after and before cafe in the college and look now in the before cafe.

Overall, the look of the cafe is changed in the mirror changes such as the outdoor seating or staff dining rooms.

Moreover, the before cafe look kitchen or serving area like (food and drink) are located in the north south corner. The staff dining rooms are merged in the north side or the toilet is located in the south-east corner. Bin is also available in the before cafe or located in the north side upward in the toilet. The tables and chairs also located in between of the before cafe.

Howover, the after is small like that the outdoor seating and barbecue is available in the south-side. The take food and coffee bar is separated in two rooms or the kitchen and hot meals is located in the north-east side.The salad bar is also available in the east side of after cafe or the recycling bins is located in the west side is replace in the before cafe of bin space.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad subject as a café redesign and mention several relevant features, including the kitchen, seating, toilets, new outdoor seating and barbecue. However, the comparison is only partially accurate and the overview does not clearly summarise the main changes. For example, you say the kitchen and serving area are in the “north south corner,” place the bin on the north side, and describe the salad bar as being on the east side; these locations do not match the plans. The recycling bins are also on the eastern wall, not the west. The key changes—staff dining rooms replaced by takeaway and coffee areas, a salad bar added, and new southern access to outdoor seating—need to be reported accurately and clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the former and current layouts. This gives the reader some sense of comparison. However, progression within paragraphs is difficult to follow because several features are joined with repeated “or” and “also,” as in “the staff dining rooms are merged in the north side or the toilet is located…” The contrast marker “Howover” signals a change, but the details that follow are not ordered consistently by location or type of change. Use one paragraph for the original plan and one for the redesigned plan, grouping features by area, and use accurate links such as “whereas,” “while,” and “in addition” to make relationships clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “staff dining rooms,” “tables and chairs,” “outdoor seating,” and “barbecue,” so the topic is recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or combinations make the description unclear: “look of the cafe is changed in the mirror changes,” “small like that,” and “take food” do not express the intended ideas naturally. There are also repeated general words such as “located” and “available,” and “merged” is not a precise description of the rooms being replaced. Build a more accurate set of plan-description phrases, such as “was converted into,” “was added,” and “along the eastern wall,” and check spelling of “However.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the response includes basic present and past references. However, control is inconsistent: sentence patterns are often incomplete or awkward, and errors frequently make relationships between features hard to understand. For instance, “The two diagrams illustrate the after and before cafe … and look now in the before cafe” has unclear structure, while “The staff dining rooms are merged … or the toilet is located” does not form a clear comparison. Articles and prepositions are also unreliable, as in “in between of the before cafe.” Use straightforward, complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check tense consistency: describe the former plan in the past and the current layout in the present. Punctuate sentence boundaries and avoid joining unrelated clauses with “or.”

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