Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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 pictorial representations delineate the layout of a cafe before and after refurbishment.

Overall, it is noticable that kitchen, accommodation, restrooms, and trash cans were the areas that remained completely unaltered. However, Staff dining rooms, and serving locations were replaced by a coffee bar, take away and hot meals counter respectively. Additionally, another striking feature were the introduction of salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating facilities.

To initiate with, before the renovation, the cafe had had a kitchen in the far left corner juxtaposing the serving area, out of which, the latter was now dedicated for hotmeals. Furthermore, there were two staff diners, which were modified into a section for take away food and coffee bar each. Moreover, salad counter was added after modification, along with the facilitation of barbecue and outdoor seating, outside the establishment.

In contrast, the amenities which remained unchanged were not only the cooking section, but also the central area of kitchen with tables and chair, recycling bins and toilets, whose positions were maintained on the same place as it was before rejuvenation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign. An effective overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the key changes (such as the addition of the salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating) and constants (such as the kitchen and toilets). Comparisons and spatial details are generally accurate and supported by the visual data. The response meets all requirements for a successful Task 1 academic report, effectively conveying the spatial transformation without unnecessary detail or personal opinion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression from an introductory statement to an overview, followed by specific details of changes and unchanged areas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the visual data. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'Additionally', 'To initiate with', and 'In contrast'. However, some transitional phrases feel slightly unnatural or awkward, such as 'To initiate with', which detracts slightly from a completely natural flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate to a visual description task, including terms like 'delineate', 'refurbishment', 'unaltered', and 'juxtaposing'. There are occasional slight inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'accommodation' (the visual shows staff dining rooms rather than accommodation) and 'staff diners' (instead of staff dining rooms). Spelling is generally accurate, but some minor lexical slips occur. Overall, the lexical range allows for adequate precision in describing the map changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting complex forms with varying degrees of success. There are some noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'it is noticable that kitchen' (missing article), 'were the introduction' (subject-verb agreement error with 'feature'), and the misuse of past perfect tenses ('had had a kitchen'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors occur, they do not impede communication.

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