Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01

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 plans illustrate the layout of a college cafe before and after redesigning.

Prior to redesigning, the kitchen was located in the North-West of the cafe with a serving area for all food and drinks incorporated in that area. Most of the room was occupied by tables and chairs with toilets in the South-East corner of the cafeteria with the bins to their front just along the eastern wall, to the left of the entrance. The Staff dining rooms were opposite the entrance.

The cafe after redesigning has a designated place for hot meals where the serving area used to be. The staff dining rooms have been replaced by a take-away food and coffee bar. More recycling bins have been added to the bin area however the toilets remain the same. The cafe now has a new salad bar installed to the extreme western wall just before the kitchen. The cafe also has a new outdoor seating with entrances right beside the toilets and besides the salad bar. It also has a new Barbecue place installed to the left of the outdoor seating.

Thus, the map shows the changes made to the college cafeteria, and a comparison of before and after redesigning.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the cafe redesign, including the kitchen, seating areas, and new additions like the salad bar and barbecue. You have successfully identified the main changes and made relevant comparisons between the two layouts. However, the overview is missing; a summary of the most significant changes (such as the expansion of seating and the addition of new service points) should be included in the introduction or as a separate paragraph to fully meet the requirements for a higher band. The description is generally accurate, though some spatial references could be more precise to help the reader visualize the layout changes more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, moving from the original layout to the redesigned one. Paragraphing is used to separate the two time periods, which helps the reader follow the progression. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the description of the kitchen and the seating area could be smoother. While the information is easy to follow, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and better referencing to connect the 'before' and 'after' states more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the layout, such as 'designated place', 'incorporated', and 'extreme western wall'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, though some phrasing is slightly repetitive or could be more precise. For instance, 'the cafe after redesigning' is a bit clunky; 'the redesigned cafe' would be more natural. There are no significant spelling errors, and the vocabulary is adequate to convey the information clearly, though it lacks the sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the grammar is generally accurate and does not impede communication, there are some minor errors in preposition use and article placement, such as 'to the left of the outdoor seating' or 'to the extreme western wall'. Complex structures are attempted, but they are sometimes slightly awkward. To improve, focus on ensuring that prepositions of place are used consistently and that sentence variety is increased by using more diverse subordinating conjunctions.

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

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