Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 construction plans describe the changes in a college cafe after it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall, the main building didn't change in size, but the staff dining rooms were replaced by a coffee bar and a take away food, also there was more recycling bins added instead of the previous single bin. Moreover, a barbecue and outdoor seating were a new addition to the college cafe.

The kitchen didn't change much, but the serving area was specialised in hot meals only rather than all food and drinks as it used to be. There was a salad bar which was added in the big hall, and the staff dining rooms were replaced by a coffe bar and take away food, also some recycling bins were added to the single bin which was situated earlier, and the toilets, tables and chairs had not change.

there were a new seating added in the outdoors for the costumers, alongside a new barecue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall changes: the staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee facilities, the single bin is replaced by recycling bins, and outdoor seating with a barbecue is added. You also correctly note that the kitchen, central tables and chairs, and toilets remain. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the serving counter is now for hot meals, but the plan does not say it serves hot meals only; the salad bar is on the western wall, not simply “in the big hall”; and the new outdoor seating is not described clearly. The overview is relevant, but several changes need more precise reporting and comparison, with less repetition, to cover the plans more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has an identifiable opening, overview and detail section, and it generally groups changes to the café together. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the replacement of the staff dining rooms and the addition of recycling bins are reported in both the overview and the next paragraph. The long second paragraph joins several separate changes with “and” and a comma, making relationships between details difficult to follow. The final sentence begins with a lowercase “there” and adds another point without a clear link to the preceding paragraph. Use a clearer sequence—overview, interior changes, then outdoor changes—and separate related details into shorter, well-connected sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “redesigned,” “serving area,” “recycling bins” and “outdoor seating,” which makes the main subject clear. However, some word choices and collocations are imprecise or awkward: “a coffee bar and a take away food” and “a new seating” do not describe the facilities naturally, while “specialised in hot meals only” overstates what the plan shows. There are also spelling errors in “coffe” and “barecue,” and “costumers” is the wrong word for café customers. Aim for accurate plan-description phrases such as “was converted into,” “a takeaway counter” and “seating area,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “rather than” and clauses linked by “but” and “which.” The main changes are usually understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “there was more recycling bins added” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “the toilets, tables and chairs had not change” uses an incorrect verb form. In “there were a new seating added,” the verb does not agree with the singular construction, and the sentence lacks a clear grammatical structure. There are also comma splices where separate clauses are joined only by commas. Practise agreement, past-tense forms and sentence boundaries while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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.