Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

We start with left side of the top. In the past and now kitchen size are almost same with little change of door wall side the hot meals are introduce instead of service area such as all foo and drinks. After that in front of kitchen the was cleand and nothing front of kitchen but now the salad bar is new. In the hall tables and chairs are same as the past, but behind this the staff dining rooms are changed and seperate with take away food and coffee bar. After this the doors are same but bin changed with recycling bins and this is bigger than the past. The toilets are same but on the front wall they creates two door one is used for enterance and other use for existing.

At the end bottom of the left side barbecue is newly introduce and also new outdoor seating.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant changes, including the new salad bar, the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee areas, recycling bins, and outdoor seating with a barbecue. However, the response gives only a partial account: it does not clearly summarise the overall transformation, and some details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the two new southern doors are described as one for entering and one for exiting, which is not specified in the plans; the recycling bins are not stated to be larger. The kitchen and toilets remaining in place could also be reported more clearly. The response is 149 words, one word below the 150-word minimum. Add a concise overview and report only features supported by the plans.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a rough route through the plan, moving from the kitchen to the central hall and then to the southern exterior, so the reader can identify the general subject of each sentence. However, the progression is not consistently clear: phrases such as “After that,” “After this,” and “At the end” are repetitive and do not always show precise relationships between changes. The opening, “We start with left side of the top,” is also an unclear way to organise a map description. Paragraphing is absent, and the comparison between the former and current layouts is often compressed into long sentences. Grouping the response into an overview and two location-based paragraphs, with clear contrasts such as “whereas” and “in contrast,” would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “kitchen,” “tables and chairs,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating.” This gives the reader a basic sense of the changes, but the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the description difficult to interpret. For instance, “the was cleand” and “foo” obscure the intended meaning, while “service area” is less accurate than the plan’s “serving area.” “Newly introduce” is also an awkward collocation. Aim for precise map vocabulary such as “was replaced by,” “was added,” and “remained unchanged,” and check spelling carefully. These choices would make the comparisons clearer without requiring unnecessarily advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example by contrasting the tables and chairs with the former staff dining rooms. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “In the past and now kitchen size are almost same,” which lacks clear tense and article use, and “the staff dining rooms are changed and seperate,” where the verb form and sentence construction are faulty. The final sentence also shifts awkwardly between “they creates” and “is used.” Use straightforward past-versus-present forms consistently: for example, “The kitchen remained in the same position, while the serving counter became a hot-meal counter.” Check articles, subject–verb agreement, and verb forms in each sentence.

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