Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 2 maps illustrate the significant changes in the layout of college cafe before and after it was redesigned.

Overall, the college cafe underwent considerable modernization. While the kitchen, toilets and central area remained unchanged, staff dining rooms and serving area were substantially reorganized.

Before the renovation, the cafe consisted of two staff dining rooms facing the entrances with a compact bin and toilets to the left. While the rest of the central area is filled with tables and chairs, serving area which extended to kitchen was located next to the staff dining rooms.

Following the redesign, the staff rooms were converted into a take away food counter and a coffee bar each, along with a new salad bar next to the kitchen. Furthermore, the serving area was changed into hot meals section, with a larger recycling bin next to the entrance. Toilets and tables and chairs remained the same. A new barbecue stall was fixed outside the cafeteria along with multiple tables and chairs for outdoor seating to manage the crowd.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview of the main changes and making relevant comparisons between the two plans. Key features such as the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a take-away food counter and coffee bar, the addition of the salad bar, and the new outdoor seating area with a barbecue are accurately reported. The overview effectively summarises that the cafe underwent considerable modernisation while keeping the kitchen, toilets, and central area. However, there are minor inaccuracies in spatial referencing, such as stating the bin and toilets were to the left before the renovation, when the original plan places them on the right. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of Task 1 effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised into clear paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an effective overview paragraph, a description of the past layout, and finally the present layout. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall', 'Before the renovation', and 'Following the redesign', which help guide the reader through the temporal comparison. Referencing is generally clear, though paragraphing could be slightly more balanced. The progression of ideas is logical and easy to follow throughout the text, maintaining coherence well.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, using appropriate terms like 'layout', 'modernisation', 'reorganized', and 'converted'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'substantially reorganized'. However, there are a few awkward collocations or lexical inaccuracies, such as 'a barbecue stall was fixed outside', where 'installed' or 'located' would be more natural. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary choice is sufficient to communicate the main features clearly without impeding the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over past and present tenses to contrast the two maps. Examples such as 'While the kitchen, toilets and central area remained unchanged, staff dining rooms and serving area were substantially reorganized' show good use of complex structures. There are minor grammatical lapses, such as missing articles ('the layout of college cafe' instead of 'the college cafe', and 'a take away food counter and a coffee bar each'), but these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. Punctuation is generally sound.

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