Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-05

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)

Writing task 1

The layout stated illustrates how a college cafe has changed after being redesigned.

Overall the what stands out from the blueprint that the cafe has been significantly redesigned, with new facilities such as a caffe bar, takeaway food area, salad bar and outdoors seating. Moreover, the toilets have also been relocated, while the kitchen and main seating area remain.

Looking at the details, it is clearly evident that before the redesign, the kitchen was located in the upper-left corner with a serving area for all food and drinks. Additionally, the main area contained tables and chairs. Furthermore, two staff dining rooms were situated in the centre, while the toilets were in the bottom-right corner. Meanwhile, a bin was also located on the right-hand side.

Delving deeper into the details, today the kitchen remains in the upper-left corner but the former serving area has been replaced by a hot-meals section. In addition, a salad bar has been added on the left, while takeaway food and a coffee bar are located in the center. In contrast, the main tables and chairs remain in the middle. In addition, outdoor seating and a barbecue have been introduced, and the toilets have been moved to the lower-right corner. The old staff dining rooms have been removed, and recycling bins have been installed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the cafe redesign, including the addition of new facilities and the relocation of existing ones. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the changes. You have made effective comparisons between the 'before' and 'after' states, which is essential for this task. The information is well-selected, and you have covered all key areas of the plans. To reach a higher band, ensure that you avoid minor inaccuracies in description, such as the placement of the coffee bar, and focus on grouping information more logically to highlight the most significant changes rather than listing every detail sequentially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Additionally', 'In contrast', and 'Meanwhile' to link your ideas. The progression of information from the general overview to specific details is logical and easy to follow. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the 'before' and 'after' descriptions. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To improve, try to vary the placement of cohesive devices and ensure that the relationship between sentences is always clear and natural.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the changes, using terms like 'redesigned', 'relocated', 'facilities', and 'blueprint'. You attempt to use some less common vocabulary, which is appropriate for the task. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'caffe bar' (spelling) and 'the what stands out' (grammatical error in phrasing). To achieve a higher score, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your vocabulary is consistently accurate. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and nouns related to spatial changes would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to understand. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'the what stands out' and 'a caffe bar'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are noticeable. To improve, focus on proofreading for small errors in articles and sentence construction. Incorporating a wider variety of complex structures, such as passive voice constructions to describe the changes (e.g., 'The kitchen was relocated...'), would help demonstrate better control and range.

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

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