Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-10

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 plan illustrates the structural layout of a college cafe prior to its redesign and the modifications made to it.

Overall, it is clear that the cafe underwent a dramatic transformation, expanding food service option and introducing salad bar. The most notable changes include the addition of outdoor seating arrangements.

Before the redesigning of the cafe, there was a serving area in the kitchen space which was in the north side of the cafe. Now that former serving area transformed into a hot meal zone. A salad bar was introduced in the western part of the cafe. The former staff dining rooms was replaced by take away food counter and coffee bar respectively. A new outdoor seating setup was built in the southern part of the cafe and a barbeque was added along the southern perimeter, offering an outdoor extension to the main dining room. Additionally, the tables and chairs arrangement in the middle of the cafe stood unaltered. The toilets area and bin was remained intact too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the cafe redesign, including the new service areas and the outdoor seating. You provided a clear overview and supported your points with specific details from the plans. To reach a higher band, ensure you consistently use precise terminology for locations (e.g., 'north-west corner' rather than 'western part') and ensure all comparisons are explicit. You covered all parts of the task well, and the information is accurately reported, making the transformation easy to follow for the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Before the redesigning', 'Now', and 'Additionally' to guide the reader through the changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the specific details. To improve, ensure that referencing is always clear; for instance, 'the former staff dining rooms was replaced by take away food counter' could be improved by using 'a' or 'the' consistently to avoid minor mechanical errors in cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the changes, such as 'dramatic transformation', 'structural layout', and 'perimeter'. There are some minor word choice issues, such as 'redesigning of the cafe' (redesign is more natural) and 'tables and chairs arrangement' (seating arrangement). While you use some less common items, there is room to incorporate more precise academic collocations to describe spatial changes. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate and allows for clear communication of the information presented in the diagrams.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical slips that occur throughout the text, such as 'the former staff dining rooms was replaced' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'bin was remained intact' (incorrect passive voice construction). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage when describing past and present states will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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