Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-07

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 diagrams illustrate the layout of a college café before and after its redevelopment.

Overall, the café underwent considerable modernization, with several new facilities being introduced, including a takeaway area, coffee bar, salad bar, barbecue section and outdoor seating. However, the kitchen and toilets remained unchanged.

Initially, the main serving area was located on the northern side, directly opposite the kitchen. In the new layout, this area was converted into a hot-meals section. The former staff dining area was divided into two separate sections for takeaway food and a coffee bar. Additionally, the original bins were replaced with recycling bins.

To the left of the takeaway area, a new salad bar was added. Two other major additions were a barbecue section and an outdoor seating area, making the redesigned café more diverse in terms of dining facilities. Meanwhile, the kitchen and toilets remained in their original locations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview and identifies the main features of the cafe redesign. You have successfully highlighted the key changes, such as the new takeaway and dining facilities, while noting the areas that remained unchanged. However, the response is 147 words long, which falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement. This under-length impacts the overall task achievement score, as it prevents a more thorough development of the comparison. To improve, ensure you expand slightly on the spatial relationships or the specific nature of the changes to comfortably exceed the word count threshold.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is well-organized with a logical progression of ideas. You use clear paragraphing to separate the overview, the initial layout, and the subsequent changes. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'In the new layout', 'Additionally', and 'Meanwhile' are used effectively to guide the reader through the comparison. The flow of information is natural and easy to follow. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between paragraphs is even smoother and that the logical connection between the 'before' and 'after' states is consistently maintained throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for describing diagrams, such as 'modernization', 'redevelopment', 'converted', and 'facilities'. The word choice is generally precise and fits the context well. There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items to describe the changes, such as 'underwent a complete transformation' or 'the layout was reconfigured to accommodate'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Grammatical control is strong, and there are very few errors. You successfully use passive voice constructions, such as 'was converted' and 'were replaced', which are appropriate for describing processes and changes in a formal report. Punctuation is accurate throughout. To achieve a higher band, aim to include a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional or relative clauses, to demonstrate greater grammatical flexibility.

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

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