Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-29

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 4.5)

The plans show the cafe map the first map is before redesign and the scond one is afte is new the map show fow tables and chairs but after the redesing sating is large and out side the cafe seating for studients. staff dining rooms changed and creat the the take away and coffee bar. first cafa did not have salad bar but after the creat. on the other hand only first have bin after the redesign its creat large. firstle serving area prived all food and drink but redesing its only sarve hot meals.new cafe creat a barbecue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several genuine changes, including the new salad bar, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, the report is very brief and covers the plans only partially: it gives little detail about where features are located and omits important changes such as the two new southern doors and the continued presence of the toilets. The statement that seating is “large” is unclear and does not precisely describe the outdoor area. The required minimum of 150 words is not met, which limits how fully you can select and report the main features. A clearer overview and more accurate comparisons would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to compare the two plans, and phrases such as “after the redesign” and “on the other hand” signal changes. However, the information is presented as one run-on sequence rather than in clearly organised paragraphs, so the reader has to work to follow the comparisons. The opening repeats “map” and does not establish a clear overview, while the later points move abruptly from seating to staff rooms, bins, serving areas and the barbecue. Some linking phrases are also used without a clear contrast. Group the main changes by area—for example, indoor facilities and outdoor additions—and use complete, clearly separated sentences to create a more coherent progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “staff dining rooms,” “take away,” “coffee bar,” “salad bar” and “barbecue,” so the reader can recognise several changes. However, the range is limited and some wording is imprecise or repetitive: “the map show,” “after the redesing,” and “its creat” do not clearly express the intended changes. Frequent spelling errors, including “scond,” “sating” and “studients,” also make the description harder to read. Aim for accurate map vocabulary such as “was replaced by,” “was added,” and “remained unchanged,” and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for location and layout would help you describe the plans rather than simply list features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect ideas, but sentence structures are very limited and frequent errors sometimes obscure the intended meaning. For example, “the first map is before redesign and the scond one is afte is new” lacks clear clause structure, and “staff dining rooms changed and creat the the take away and coffee bar” has problems with verb forms and sentence construction. Articles and agreement are also inconsistent, as in “the cafe map” and “the map show.” Most ideas are joined into a long sequence with little punctuation, making sentence boundaries unclear. Practise writing short, complete sentences first, using past forms for changes (“was replaced”) and present forms for features that remain (“the toilets remain”). Then add a few accurate comparison clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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