Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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 4.5)

The map illustrate shows a college cafe initually it was redesigned and how it scene now.

Overall, when cafe redesinged, the main feature in cafe like a small kitchen,small serving area(all food & drinks),normal two staff dinning room, a huge area for table and chairs, a small bin and toilets.

Now, the new map of cafe today,the some new feature add like a hot meals, one room for take away food and one room for coffe bar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the two plans and mentions some relevant features, including the kitchen, serving area, staff dining rooms, seating, bin and toilets, then notes the hot-meals counter, takeaway room and coffee bar. However, it reports only a small part of the redesign: the salad bar, recycling bins, outdoor seating and barbecue are omitted, and it does not explain what stayed the same or compare the layouts clearly. The overview is also inaccurate in saying the café “initually it was redesigned,” which obscures the before-and-after relationship. The response is substantially below the required 150 words, leaving the main features under-reported. To improve, give a clear overview of the major changes and describe the important additions and retained facilities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: the first sentence introduces the plans, the next describes the former café, and the final sentence turns to the current layout. This gives the reader a simple before-and-after structure. However, progression is limited because each layout is reduced to a list of features, with little comparison or linking between them. The opening sentence is difficult to follow, and the phrase “Now, the new map of cafe today” repeats the time reference rather than smoothly connecting the information. Use separate, clearly focused paragraphs for the overview and details, and connect changes explicitly—for example, explain that the staff dining rooms were replaced by takeaway and coffee areas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses a small set of task-relevant words, such as “kitchen,” “serving area,” “tables and chairs,” “toilets” and “take away food,” so the basic subject can be recognised. However, the vocabulary is limited and repetitive, and several spelling or word-choice errors make the description less clear, including “initually,” “redesinged,” “dinning” and “coffe.” Phrases such as “the some new feature add” are not natural ways to describe changes on a plan. Build a more accurate range of map vocabulary, including terms for additions, replacements and locations, and check spelling carefully. This would allow you to report the changes more precisely rather than relying on a short list of labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts simple statements and an overall summary, but its grammatical range is very limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to interpret. For example, “The map illustrate shows” combines two verb forms, while “initually it was redesigned and how it scene now” does not form a clear sentence. In “the some new feature add,” the article, number and verb form are not controlled. The writer also omits articles and uses sentence structures that do not clearly express the comparison between past and present. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with clauses such as “whereas” or “while.” Check subject–verb agreement, articles and past-versus-present verb forms.

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.