Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-25

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 given plans illustrate a college cafe before it was redeveloped and how it looks today.

overall, The size of the cafe is same in compared to the past. outdoor seating and salad bar is added now. kitchens , toilets amd recycling bins are unchanged in compared to the last year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the plans as a before-and-after redesign and mention several relevant features: the outdoor seating and salad bar are new, while the kitchen and toilets remain. However, the report is far too brief to summarise the main changes, and it omits important details such as the former staff dining rooms becoming a takeaway-food area and coffee bar, the new hot-meals counter, and the barbecue. The claim that recycling bins are unchanged is inaccurate: the earlier plan shows a single bin, while the current plan labels recycling bins. The statement that the café is the same size is not clearly established by the plans. Develop a fuller overview and compare the key internal and external changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic, understandable order: it introduces the plans and then gives a brief overall comparison. The use of “overall” signals an attempt to summarise the main picture. However, the ideas are compressed into one short paragraph, with no clear separation between an overview and specific changes. The second sentence also strings together several claims without showing how they relate or which features changed versus stayed the same. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and one or two paragraphs grouping the internal changes and the outdoor additions. Use clear linking phrases such as “whereas,” “in addition,” and “by contrast” to make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant basic terms such as “redeveloped,” “outdoor seating,” “salad bar,” and “unchanged,” so the reader can identify some of the features being compared. However, the vocabulary range is narrow for describing a plan, and several phrases are imprecise or awkward, including “the size of the cafe is same” and “in compared to the past.” The response also misses useful labels from the plans, such as “takeaway food,” “coffee bar,” and “hot meals,” which would allow more precise reporting. Use the plan’s terminology accurately and vary verbs for change and location, for example “was replaced by,” “was added,” and “remained in the same position.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses simple sentence forms that communicate its general purpose, including “The given plans illustrate…” and “outdoor seating and salad bar is added now.” However, grammatical control is inconsistent: “The size of the cafe is same” needs an article, and “outdoor seating and salad bar is added” has a subject–verb agreement problem and missing articles. The final sentence also has an unclear comparison structure. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, particularly the lowercase “overall” after a full stop and the capitalised “The” following it. Practise accurate simple comparisons first, then add a range of past and present forms to distinguish what existed before from what has changed.

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