Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-29

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 6.5)

The map diagram illustrates how the layout of a college cafe has changed after relocation.

Overall, the building has undergone significant development. The dinning room for staff has been turned into coffee bar and take away, creating an outdoor sitting, while a bin has been replaced by the recycling bins.

Before revamping, the entrance was located at the upper right corner, leading directly to a foyer with tables and chairs. A bin was located just near to the entrance, with a toilet located just below a waste area. There was a separate dinning area for staff with round tables, and a space for serving section offering food and drinks has been allocated quite close to kitchen.

Since then, the facility has witnessed extensive renovation. An entry point to cafe and toilets remains the same at the upper right corner and the bottom of cafe, respectively. While a bin has been replaced by the recyclable bins and staff dining rooms have been converted into take away food and coffee bar sections. Notably, there is an addition of outdoor seating with rectangular tables, introducing a built-in grill section. The key differences are the conversion of serving area into hot meals and allocation of special place for salad bar at one side of a foyer, with kitchen remins at the same place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully identifies the main features of the cafe redesign. You have provided a clear overview and highlighted key changes such as the conversion of the staff dining room and the addition of outdoor seating. However, the report could be improved by ensuring all comparisons are precise. For instance, you mention the kitchen remains in the same place, but you could have more explicitly compared the relative size or proximity of the new features to the original layout. The summary is accurate and covers the requirements well, though a more analytical approach to the spatial changes would elevate the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Before revamping' and 'Since then' to guide the reader through the chronological changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the 'before' and 'after' states. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences in the final paragraph could be smoother. For example, the sentence starting with 'While a bin...' is a fragment that lacks a main clause, which slightly disrupts the logical progression of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the changes, using terms like 'relocation', 'extensive renovation', and 'converted'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'dinning' (should be 'dining') and 'remins' (spelling error). Additionally, 'a bin' is a bit vague; 'waste disposal area' would be more precise. While you attempt some less common vocabulary, the occasional spelling and collocation errors prevent a higher score. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The map diagram illustrates how the layout... has changed'. There are several grammatical slips, including 'a bin has been replaced by the recycling bins' (inconsistent article usage) and 'staff dining rooms have been converted into take away food and coffee bar sections' (the subject-verb agreement is slightly awkward here). Some sentences, like the one starting with 'While a bin...', are grammatically incomplete. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the response.

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