Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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 plans behind provides information about college cafe before it rebuilt and hows its apperance now.

overall,made a change in few areas of cafe like add a barbecue bar and outdoor seating ,salaad bar as well .It looks huge now with these facilities.

The structure of cafe before quite different .It had staff dining room it was in two sections but now there is a change it is separated into take away food and coffee bar. In redesigning of callege cafetaria kitchen is on its place now but on the other side serving area changed into hot meals.There was a empty space before in the cafe now there is a section of salad bar locates.

and the empty space behind the college cafe is now changed into barbecu and outdoor seating area . firstly only bin located but later on it changed into recycling bins. one last thing in college cafe is tables and chairs these are still in there place .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee areas, the addition of a salad bar, and the new outdoor seating and barbecue. You also note that the kitchen, central tables and chairs, and toilets remain. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the serving area becomes a hot-meals counter, rather than the kitchen changing, and the outdoor area is south of the café, not simply “behind” it. The overview that the café “looks huge now” is not supported by the plans; a more useful summary would emphasise the new food facilities and expansion outdoors. Overall, the main features are covered, but some are less clearly reported than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to comparisons between the two plans. You also use some linking expressions, such as “but now,” “before,” and “later on,” to signal change. However, progression is difficult to follow because several changes are crowded into long sentences, and the paragraphing does not clearly group related features. For example, the sentence beginning “In redesigning of college cafetaria” combines the kitchen, serving counter, and salad bar without clear boundaries. Some transitions, including “one last thing,” are conversational rather than suitable for a formal report. Organise the comparison into clear groups—north side, interior, and outdoor changes—and use precise links between them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “staff dining room,” “take away food,” “coffee bar,” “salad bar,” and “recycling bins,” which helps communicate the main changes. There is also some attempt to describe transformation through phrases such as “changed into” and “separated into.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or awkward word choices are noticeable, including “apperance,” “salaad,” “barbecu,” and “empty space behind.” “Looks huge” is also an informal and unsupported description of the plans. Aim for accurate spelling and more precise map language, such as “located along the western wall” or “added to the south of the building.” This would make the description clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including contrasts between the former and current layouts. However, control of sentence structure and basic grammar is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships between features unclear. For example, “The structure of cafe before quite different” lacks a finite verb, while “It had staff dining room it was in two sections” joins two clauses without appropriate punctuation or a linking structure. Articles and verb forms are also often missing or incorrect, as in “There was a empty space” and “salad bar locates.” Use complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles, tense consistency, and punctuation when combining ideas. More accurate sentence patterns would make your comparisons easier to understand.

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

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