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 before and after cafe at the college it was redesigned and looks now.

Overall, the cafe looks changed in the minnie minors such as the outdoor seating or satff dining rooms.

Moreover, the look cafe before kitchen or serving area like (food and drink) are located in the norh-south corner. The satff dining rooms is merged on the north side and the toilet is located in the south-east corner. A bin are also available on the before cafe are located in the north side near the toilet. The tables and chairs are located in the centre of cafe before.

In the above, the small changing of cafe after redesigned such as outddoor seating or barbecue are available in the south side. The food and coffee bar are separate into two rooms. The kitchen and hot meals are located in the north side. The salad bar is also available in the East side of cafe after and the recycling bins are located in the west side. The tables and chairs are also available in the centre of the after cafe near the coffee bar and take away food.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two plans as a before-and-after comparison and include several relevant changes, such as the new outdoor seating and barbecue, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee areas, and the continued central seating and toilets. However, the overview is unclear: “changed in the minnie minors” does not communicate the main scale or direction of the redesign. Some details are also inaccurate or confusing. The bin was on the eastern wall near the entrance, not “in the north side near the toilet”; the salad bar is on the western wall, while the recycling bins are on the eastern wall, not the reverse. The response therefore covers the task only partially, with key features reported but not always clearly or accurately. Prioritise a precise overview and check locations against the plans.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the earlier and current layouts. This gives the reader some sense of comparison, and words such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “In the above” attempt to connect ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is weak, and several links are inaccurate or awkward. For example, “Moreover” does not clearly introduce a new point after the overview, while “In the above” is not a clear transition to the present-day plan. The descriptions also jump between locations without a consistent route through the plans. Group details by area or by what changed and what remained, and use straightforward transitions such as “In the original layout” and “In the redesigned café.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “tables and chairs,” “barbecue,” and “recycling bins,” so the reader can recognise many of the features being described. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spelling errors make meaning difficult to follow. “Changed in the minnie minors” appears to mean minor changes, but it conflicts with the substantial additions shown in the plan; “merged” is also not an accurate description of the staff rooms being replaced. Errors such as “satff,” “norh-south,” and “outddoor” further reduce clarity. Build a more precise set of verbs for describing plans, such as “replaced,” “added,” and “remained,” and check spelling and directional vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt a few longer sentence patterns, including “The two diagrams illustrate…” and sentences that combine several features with “and,” but most structures are simple, and errors are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “the before and after cafe at the college it was redesigned,” which has an incomplete or misordered clause, and “The satff dining rooms is merged,” where the subject and verb do not agree. Articles and prepositions are also often missing or misplaced, as in “in the centre of cafe before” and “located in the north side.” Use a clear comparative frame, such as “Before the redesign, the café had…, whereas today…,” and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and prepositions in each sentence.

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