Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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 4.0)

The two plans below illustrate the changes of a college cafe before and after its redesign and how its looks now.

Overall, serving has been changed and now its gives a new name of hot meals. Salad bar, recycling bins, barbecue and outdoor seating is added. some things are still smilar throughout the periods

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the before-and-after topic and mentions several genuine changes, including the hot-meals counter, salad bar, recycling bins, barbecue and outdoor seating. However, it gives only a very brief overview and does not describe the plans in enough detail to summarise their main features. Important comparisons are missing: for example, the former staff dining rooms became takeaway and coffee-bar areas, the toilets remained in place, and outdoor seating was added south of the café. The statement that “some things are still smilar” is too vague to report what stayed the same. The response is also substantially below the required 150 words, leaving the task only minimally addressed. Develop a clear overview and describe the key changes and unchanged features with their locations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic, understandable order: it introduces the plans and then gives an overall statement about changes. The use of “Overall” signals the purpose of the second paragraph, and the ideas are broadly relevant to the comparison. However, the response is too short to establish a clear progression through the main features, and the list of additions is not organised by location or by what changed versus what remained. The final comment, “some things are still smilar,” does not connect to any specific feature. Build a fuller structure with an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing the internal changes followed by one covering the exterior and unchanged facilities. Use clear links between these points.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The writer uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “redesign,” “serving,” “hot meals,” “salad bar,” “recycling bins,” “barbecue” and “outdoor seating.” These terms show an ability to identify several features of the plans. However, the range is narrow, and some expressions are inaccurate or awkward: “serving has been changed” is imprecise, while “now its gives a new name of hot meals” does not express the change naturally. “Smilar” is also misspelled, and “some things” is too general for an accurate plan description. Use precise terms such as “counter,” “area,” “remained” and “was replaced by,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses simple sentence forms that communicate the general topic, such as “The two plans below illustrate the changes…” and “Salad bar, recycling bins, barbecue and outdoor seating is added.” There is an attempt to use a present-perfect passive construction, but the sentence has subject–verb agreement problems, and the opening phrase “how its looks now” is not grammatically formed. In “now its gives a new name,” the verb pattern and pronoun use are also faulty. The final sentence begins with a lowercase letter and lacks a clear grammatical structure. Most sentences are short and there is little variety in clause structure. Practise accurate passive forms, agreement, and complete comparative sentences, for example, “A salad bar and outdoor seating have been added.”

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