Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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 given chart illustrates a college cafe. The college cafe was redesigned and how it looks now.

According to the chart, one chart show the cafe before redesign and other chart show how cafe look today. In cafe there is a kitchen in both chart and under the kitchen there is a serving area but today its change and replace into hot meals. In cafe there is a staff dining rooms in the middle side of the cafe but today they can be made Take away food in the side a Coffee bar. There is a big hall tables and chairs in both chart. The bin was built in the side of the hall but today its name change and become a cafe Recycling bins on the other side there is no any salad bar before cafe but today salad bar are in the chart. And the corner of the cafe a toilets are made in both the chart. In contrast, before there is no any thing outside the cafe but today a barbecue made by today and the front of the cafe there are many outdoor seating in the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant changes, including the kitchen counter becoming a hot-meals area, the staff dining rooms being replaced by takeaway and coffee facilities, and the addition of a salad bar and outdoor seating. You also note that the toilets and central tables remain. However, the response does not give a clear overview of the main transformation, and some details are vague or inaccurate: the recycling bins replace the single bin, rather than simply changing its name, and the new outdoor area includes tables and a barbecue. The description of locations, such as the staff rooms being “in the middle side,” is unclear. To strengthen the report, summarise the major changes first, then compare the interior and exterior features more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows a broadly chronological comparison, moving from the kitchen and staff rooms to the seating, bins, toilets and exterior. This gives the reader some sense of the plan’s features. However, the information is presented as one long paragraph, with little clear progression or grouping. Repeated openings such as “In cafe” and “but today” make the account sound list-like, while links such as “In contrast” do not clearly connect the ideas that follow. Some references are also difficult to track, for example “on the other side” and “the front of the cafe.” Organise the report into an introduction and overview, followed by separate paragraphs for interior changes and new outdoor facilities, using clearer transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant basic vocabulary for describing the plans, including “kitchen,” “serving area,” “tables and chairs,” “salad bar” and “outdoor seating.” These terms help communicate the general subject. However, the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or repetitive, such as “made,” “change,” and “in the side.” Some word combinations are unnatural, including “a barbecue made by today” and “a cafe Recycling bins.” Use more precise verbs and location language, such as “was replaced by,” “was added,” “along the western wall” and “in the south-west.” This would make the comparisons clearer and reduce reliance on repeated general words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect ideas with longer sentences, but sentence structures are often faulty, and errors frequently make relationships between features difficult to follow. For example, “one chart show … other chart show” has subject–verb agreement errors, while “there is a staff dining rooms” mixes singular and plural forms. Tense and sentence construction are also problematic in “today they can be made Take away food” and “a barbecue made by today.” Articles, plurals and punctuation are inconsistent as well. Practise writing clear comparison sentences with a consistent past tense for the earlier plan and present tense for the current one, for example: “The staff dining rooms were replaced by a takeaway area and a coffee bar.”

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