Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-02

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.

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The maps illustrate the changes that took place in college cafe over time.

Overall, it is clear that the area underwent significant changes over the period, becoming more developed and modernised.

At the beginning of the period, the area consisted of indoor seating arrangement along with distinct dining rooms for staff member. In the past kitchen area also include serving area where all food and drinks were served which later converted in different hot meals area. After the entrance past bins replaced with present recycling bins area.

By the end of the period, the area had become more developed, with the addition of different rooms for coffee bar and take away food with the removal of staff dining rooms. However, several changes were introduced, including outdoor seating, barbecue area where entrance through inside was available and new salad bar was introduced. One thing which did not witnessed so many changes was the area of indoor seating for customers.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response provides a clear overview of the changes, identifying the main features such as the addition of the coffee bar, outdoor seating, and the barbecue area. However, the description of the layout changes is somewhat imprecise. For instance, the mention of 'bins replaced with present recycling bins' is a minor detail, while the significant structural changes to the kitchen and dining areas are described in a slightly confusing manner. The report covers the main trends but lacks the precision required for a higher band, as some spatial relationships are not clearly articulated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the changes. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'At the beginning of the period', 'By the end of the period', and 'However'. While the flow is generally logical, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the sentence 'where entrance through inside was available', which lacks a clear antecedent. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'modernised', 'significant changes', and 'converted'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'indoor seating arrangement' (should be 'arrangements') and 'did not witnessed' (should be 'did not witness'). The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the sophistication and precision in terminology that would characterize a higher band score. The errors do not impede communication, but they are noticeable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'in college cafe' (missing article), 'kitchen area also include' (subject-verb agreement), and 'which later converted' (passive voice needed: 'was later converted'). Additionally, there are issues with tense consistency and article usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. The writer demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but control over them is inconsistent.

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