Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-17
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 6.5)
The two diagrams illustrate the appearance of a college cafe before and after it is redesigned.
Overall, the cafe is modified to provide customer-oriented services rather than focusing more on staff-related services. Also, the newly designed cafe has an extended area to serve more customers and an outdoor activity such as barbecue.
In detail, previously, there was a single serving area for all types of foods and drinks, whereas these days this has been replaced by hot meals section. Along with that, the dining rooms, which were specially intended for staffs are repurposed and refurbished with take away food and coffee bar sections in the present design. An area named salad bar on the left side inside the cafe along with a barbecue zone and five sets of outdoor seating in the outside part of the cafe are newly introduced.
The remaining sections are set as it was in the past except the bin is changed by its label to recycling bin.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response successfully identifies the main features of the cafe redesign, such as the shift from staff-only areas to customer-oriented services and the addition of new facilities like the barbecue zone. You have provided a clear overview and supported it with specific details from the diagrams. However, the description of the 'remaining sections' is slightly vague; specifying that the entrance and kitchen remained in their original locations would have provided a more comprehensive summary. Overall, the information is well-selected and the comparison between the 'before' and 'after' states is clear and accurate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs detailing the changes. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'along with that', and 'in the present design' to link information effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the specific details. To reach a higher band, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, 'the remaining sections' could be more explicitly linked to the specific areas on the plan to improve the flow of information.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the changes, using terms like 'repurposed', 'refurbished', and 'customer-oriented'. There is some awareness of collocation, such as 'newly introduced'. However, there are minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'an outdoor activity such as barbecue' (a barbecue is an object or event, not an activity in this context) and 'the bin is changed by its label' (which is slightly awkward phrasing). Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and nouns related to spatial changes would help elevate the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'before and after it is redesigned' (should be 'was redesigned') and 'intended for staffs' (staff is an uncountable noun in this context). Additionally, 'the bin is changed by its label' is grammatically clunky. Despite these errors, the control of grammar is generally good, and the mistakes do not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement would improve the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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