Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The map shows a college cafe before it was renovated. on the left corner there was kitchen and infront of kitchen there was a serving area to serves all the food and the drinks. It is still the same in the new renovation, adjacent to serving area there's a big hall with all the chairs and table for the students, in the centre corner of the hall there's a staff dining rooms which is now renovated into take away food and a coffee bar. there's also a new addition on the left centre of the dining hall, a salad bar. They've also added outfdoor sitting and a nice barebecue area. There's also a toilet at the right corner of the hall. and a recycling bin area in the centre of the right side of the hall. The New cafe covers more area and people can also enjoy outdoor seating and barbecue

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the new take-away food and coffee bar, salad bar, outdoor seating and barbecue, and you note that the toilets remain. However, some locations and comparisons are inaccurate or unclear: the staff dining rooms were along the north wall, not in the “centre corner,” and the recycling bins are on the eastern wall, not in the centre of that side. The kitchen remains, but the serving counter is now for hot meals; saying the serving area is “still the same” misses this change. The overview that the café covers more area is relevant, but the response needs a clearer, more accurate account of the main before-and-after layout changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response includes relevant details, but it is presented as one long paragraph with little clear progression from the original plan to the redesigned café. Several ideas are joined by repeated “and” or “there’s,” while the sequence shifts between the kitchen, seating, staff rooms and outdoor area without clear grouping. The opening could introduce the comparison, followed by a paragraph on changes inside and another on the new outdoor facilities. Some references are also difficult to follow, such as “it” in “It is still the same” and “the centre corner of the hall.” Use clearer transitions such as “In the redesigned café” and “In addition,” and organise details by location or type of change.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “renovated,” “serving area,” “salad bar” and “outdoor seating,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or informal for describing a plan. “Nice barbecue area” adds an opinion rather than describing the feature, while “covers more area” is a broad claim that could be expressed more precisely. There are also spelling errors, including “outfdoor” and “barebecue,” and awkward phrases such as “left corner” and “centre corner.” Aim for accurate location language and neutral terms such as “south-west,” “along the western wall” and “additional facilities.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect ideas in longer sentences, but control is uneven, and errors sometimes make relationships between features unclear. For example, “there was kitchen” is missing an article, and “a serving area to serves” has an incorrect verb form. The sentence beginning “It is still the same in the new renovation” then runs through several changes using commas, rather than separating complete ideas. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “and a recycling bin area…” after a full stop and “The New cafe.” Use a mix of accurate simple and complex sentences, check articles and verb forms, and use full stops to separate the main comparisons.

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