Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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 maps Illustrate information about a serval changes in college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall it is clear from the plans . There is a serval different changes in the cafe , by added some facilities like coffe bars also outdoor seating and barbecuers .

According to the first map , cafe before redesign in the Northern side there is kitchen and serving area for food and drinks . Furthermore staff dining rooms and bins in the eastern next to the toilette.while chairs and tables in the middle area.

In terms of the maps after changing by added some facilities serving area replaced to hot meals and staff dining rooms replaced to take away and coffee bar , furthermore added facilities like salad bar in Western side of the cafe . in addition bin is replaced to recycling bin .

Also barbecue and outdoor seating .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several genuine changes, including the conversion of the serving area to hot meals, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, and the addition of a salad bar. However, the account is only partial: the overview is vague, and important features such as the new southern doors, outdoor seating and barbecue are mentioned only briefly or not described. Some locations are also unclear; for example, the bins were on the eastern wall, but the toilets—not the bins—were in the bottom-right corner. The response contains 141 words, below the required 150, which limits the opportunity to report the main features fully. Develop a clearer overview and describe the major additions and unchanged features more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from an overview to the original café and then to changes in the redesigned plan. This gives the reader some sense of comparison. However, progression is not consistently clear: the opening overview is vague, and the final fragment, “Also barbecue and outdoor seating,” is not integrated into the description. Linking phrases such as “Furthermore” and “in addition” are repeated or used where the relationship between details is not clear. Paragraphing is present, but the ideas within the later paragraph are crowded together. Organise the response into a concise overview and clearly separated descriptions of the original layout and the main changes, using linking words only when they clarify the relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant plan vocabulary, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bin,” and “outdoor seating,” so the reader can recognise several key features. However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms make the description less clear. “A serval changes” appears more than once, “coffe bars” is inaccurate, and “barbecuers” does not name the barbecue area correctly. Phrases such as “by added some facilities” and “after changing by added” are also unnatural. Use the labels from the plan accurately and choose precise verbs such as “was replaced by,” “was added,” and “remained.” Check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to compare the two plans using longer sentences, for example, “serving area replaced to hot meals and staff dining rooms replaced to take away and coffee bar.” However, these structures are often faulty, and several sentences lack a clear grammatical framework. The opening, “The maps Illustrate information about a serval changes,” has problems with article use and sentence construction; later, “while chairs and tables in the middle area” is a fragment. Tense and passive forms also need control when describing changes, as in “replaced to.” Punctuation is inconsistent, with spaces before commas and a sentence beginning “while” after a full stop. Practise complete sentences and accurate passive forms, such as “The serving area was replaced by a hot-meal counter.”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.