Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-27

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 layouts portray the drastic changes in a college cafe before redesign and at present.

Overall,there are changes in college cafe with the major addition of outdoor seating.

There was a kitchen in the north side of cafe which remain untouched at present. Serving area on the east wall under the kitchen is now replaced by hot meals service.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the broad comparison and one important change: the addition of outdoor seating, and you note that the kitchen remains. However, the report is far too incomplete to summarise the plans adequately, and the required minimum length is not met. Most key changes are omitted, including the former staff dining rooms becoming takeaway and coffee areas, the new salad bar, recycling bins, and the barbecue. The location of the serving area is also inaccurate: it is described as being on the east wall, whereas it lies beneath the kitchen. To improve, cover the main changes across the whole plan and make sure each location is reported accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic, recognisable structure: an opening statement, an overview, and a short description of the kitchen and serving area. This gives the reader a simple route through the limited information. However, the progression stops abruptly, with no organised account of the other changes or a concluding comparison. The overview is also very brief and does not guide the reader through the main transformations. Develop separate paragraphs for the overall changes and the key areas, using clear links such as “while,” “in contrast,” and “in addition” to connect before-and-after details. Check spacing after punctuation, as in “Overall,there,” which makes the presentation less clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing plans, including “layouts,” “redesign,” “addition,” “kitchen,” and “outdoor seating.” These terms make the general subject clear, and “remain untouched” conveys that one feature has not changed. However, the range is very limited because the response describes only a few features, and some phrasing is imprecise or unnatural, such as “changes in college cafe” and “hot meals service.” More precise plan vocabulary would help you report the full range of changes, for example, “was converted into,” “was replaced by,” and “is located in the.” Use the labels from the plans accurately and vary the language used to compare the two layouts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes a few simple sentence patterns and attempts a relative clause in “which remain untouched,” so the basic meaning is generally understandable. However, the structures are repetitive, and errors in agreement and articles are noticeable. In “which remain untouched,” the singular subject “kitchen” requires “remains”; “There was a kitchen in the north side of cafe” needs more accurate article and preposition use, such as “in the northern part of the café.” The opening overview also needs an article: “the college café.” Punctuation is inconsistent in “Overall,there.” Aim to produce complete, accurate sentences and practise combining comparisons with clauses such as “while the kitchen remains, the former staff rooms have been replaced.”

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