Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 illustrate college cafe's map before it was redesigned and how it looks today.

Overall, Although the shape of the cafe's layout remain the same, there are few change of the rooms utility. on the other hand, the cafe today it can be seen that access to go outdoor have been added as well as outdoor utility.

First, base on the previous layout we can see that service area and staff dining room were located side by side which located at the right side as we pass through the main gate, and also it can be seen that the small bin which across the toilet.

On the other hand, Cafe today have changed significantly, it already added outdoor seating with 5 tables, as well as the barbecue. Move to Indoor seating, salad bar also have been placed in front of kitchen and Hot meals, recycling bin has been expanded.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the overall redesign and mention several relevant features, including the unchanged café shape, the new outdoor seating and barbecue, and the salad bar and recycling bins. However, the comparison is only partial: the response does not clearly describe the replacement of the staff dining rooms by takeaway food and a coffee bar, or explain that the kitchen remains in place while its counter becomes a hot-meals area. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the plan shows four outdoor tables, not five, and the serving area and staff dining rooms are not side by side as described. The response is also 142 words, below the 150-word minimum; eight words copied from the prompt were excluded. Add accurate, specific comparisons and a fuller overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the former and current layouts. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, progression is uneven: the first detail paragraph combines the serving area, staff rooms and bin without clearly locating them, while the final paragraph shifts abruptly from outdoor features to indoor changes. Linking phrases such as “First” and “On the other hand” are used, but the contrast is not always logical or sufficient to show how the spaces changed. Organise the body by location or by before-and-after changes, and use clearer references such as “along the north wall” and “in the central area” to make relationships easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing plans, including “layout,” “outdoor seating,” “barbecue,” “salad bar” and “recycling bin.” These terms help communicate the main subject. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate or vague, such as “rooms utility,” “outdoor utility,” “main gate” and “expanded” for the recycling bins. “Cafe” is also inconsistently capitalised, and “service area” does not match the plan’s label, “serving area.” Aim for precise terms for facilities and spatial relationships, and use a wider range of verbs such as “replaced,” “remained,” “was added” and “was converted into” to report the redesign clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast in the overview and a clause beginning “as we pass through.” However, errors are frequent and sometimes make the relationships difficult to understand. For example, “the cafe's layout remain the same” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “there are few change” has problems with the article and plural form. The sentence “the cafe today it can be seen” has an unclear structure, and “salad bar also have been placed” has incorrect agreement. Punctuation and capitalisation are also inconsistent, particularly after “Overall” and at the start of “on the other hand.” Practise accurate sentence patterns for describing locations and changes before adding more complex clauses.

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