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The dining room for staff has been turned into a coffee bar and takeaway, creating an outdoor seating, while a bin has been replaced by recycling bins.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 While a bin has been replaced by recyclable bins and staff dining rooms have been converted into take away food and coffee bar sections.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 remains at the same place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

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 area and the addition of outdoor seating. However, there are some inaccuracies in your description; for instance, you mention the entrance was in the upper right corner before, but the plan shows it was in the bottom right. Additionally, you describe the kitchen as remaining in the same place, whereas the plan indicates it has been relocated. To reach a higher band, ensure that your reporting of spatial information is precise and strictly aligned with the visual data provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'While', 'Notably', and 'Since then' to connect ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'An entry point to cafe and toilets remains the same at the upper right corner and the bottom of cafe, respectively,' which is confusing given the layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the 'before' and 'after' states, which helps the reader follow the progression of the changes.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the changes, using terms like 'undergone significant development', 'relocation', and 'renovation'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'dinning area' (should be 'dining') and 'take away food' (should be 'takeaway'). You also use 'recyclable bins' where 'recycling bins' would be more natural. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more precise descriptive language for spatial relationships would enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'creating an outdoor seating' (should be 'creating outdoor seating' or 'an outdoor seating area') and 'with kitchen remains at the same place' (should be 'while the kitchen remains'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that slightly impede the flow. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, as these small errors occur frequently throughout the text.

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

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