Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 two floor palns illustrate the current layout and its layout before the redesign of a college cafe. From an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that the cafe has undergone a many additions and alterations except its kitchen and restrooms which have stayed intact.

Firstly, the two rooms which was maily used for satff dining before are now converted into a take away food cabin and a coffee bar. Then, the serving area in the south of the kitchen compartment is now used for prepearing hot meals. Morover, the bins above the toilets are upgraded into a bigger recycling bins space.

On top of these, there are also a number of additions made to the cafe. A salad bar is added close at the wall at the west of the cafe. Furthermore, a now outdoor seating area is made at the south of the cafe, at the west of which a barbecue is also added.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by summarising the main features of the college cafe before and after the redesign and making relevant comparisons. The introduction captures the overall transformation effectively, noting that the kitchen and restrooms remained untouched while other areas underwent significant alterations. Key details, such as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a takeaway cabin and coffee bar, the relocation of the serving area, and the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating area, and barbecue, are accurately reported. The information is logically selected, and comparisons are integrated well throughout the body paragraphs. The response meets all core requirements of Task 1 by providing a clear overview and highlighting the most important changes between the two floor plans, placing it solidly within the Band 7 range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The text exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The response is divided into an introduction and three body paragraphs, ensuring that information is grouped thematically and spatially. The use of introductory cohesive phrases such as 'From an overall perspective', 'Firstly', 'Then', and 'On top of these' helps guide the reader smoothly through the comparison of the two plans. However, there are minor instances where referencing or cohesive choices could be slightly more refined, such as the abrupt transition in the final paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overall overview from specific indoor and outdoor alterations. Overall, the cohesive devices are managed well and contribute to a coherent overall arrangement that meets Band 7 standards.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using topic-specific terms related to architectural layouts and amenities, such as 'layout', 'redesign', 'take away food cabin', 'serving area', 'recycling bins space', and 'barbecue'. There are some less common items attempted with awareness of style and collocation, although minor lexical errors occur, such as 'palns' (a typo for plans), 'a many additions' (an error in article usage with a plural noun), and 'now outdoor seating' (where 'now' is clearly a typo for 'new'). Despite these occasional errors and spelling slips, the vocabulary used is adequate to convey the intended meaning clearly without impeding communication, aligning with the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the relative clause in 'the restrooms which have stayed intact' and passive constructions like 'are now converted into'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the two rooms which was maily used'), spelling and word form mistakes ('satff', 'maily', 'prepearing', 'Morover'), and incorrect prepositions ('close at the wall'). While complex sentence forms are attempted, these frequent minor errors in grammar and mechanics occasionally distract the reader, though they do not completely impede communication. This balance of mixed structures and persistent errors places the performance firmly at Band 6.

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

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