Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 floor maps compare the looks of a college cafeteria regarding the previous and subsequent changes post renovations.

Overall, a significant development was observed alongside introduction of various facilities for the benefit of staff and students.

The serving area had been replaced by the counter of hot meals, with and introduction of salad bar opposite to the entrance of the kitchen, allowing the consumers to lead a healthy lifestyle. At the opposite end of salad bar, older design showed bins. In contrast, the new design displayed big recycling bins benefiting the environment leading to reduced waste production. The staff dining rooms had been substituted by take away food counter and a coffee bar to provide quick meals for people in haste or on a short break. Toilets and seating areas with table and chairs were not modified. However, an addition of outdoor seating area with four and six seater table arrangement to accomodate more customers was done for them to enjoy the newest addition of barbecue to the menu. This arrangement allows a comfortable experience for everyone providing a wider range of dishes to choose from.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign. An appropriate overview is provided, noting the significant developments and the introduction of new facilities. Key changes, such as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a takeaway counter and coffee bar, the addition of the salad bar, and the outdoor seating with a barbecue area, are clearly highlighted and contrasted with the original layout. While some details, such as the precise locations of all elements, could be slightly more expansive, the ideas are sufficiently extended and supported with relevant data from the visual plan, aligning well with the expectations for this performance level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement and presents a logical progression of ideas as it guides the reader through the transformation of the cafe. Cohesive devices are employed to link comparisons, such as 'In contrast' and 'However', although referencing is occasionally a bit mechanical or abrupt. Paragraphing is an area for development; the response crams nearly all the body details and the overview into a single, dense block of text rather than breaking them into logical paragraphs for the overview and individual spatial areas. Despite this limitation in structural formatting, the underlying organization remains easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and functional phrases such as 'significant development', 'reduced waste production', and 'to accommodate more customers'. There are some minor limitations and awkward word choices, such as 'regarding the previous and subsequent changes post renovations' or 'with and introduction of salad bar', which show occasional inaccuracies in collocation and preposition usage. However, these lexical slips do not impede communication, and the vocabulary is sufficiently flexible to convey the intended spatial and functional changes effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as participle clauses and relative phrases (e.g., 'allowing the consumers to lead a healthy lifestyle' and 'to provide quick meals for people in haste'). There are some noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation throughout, including missing articles (e.g., 'with and introduction of salad bar', 'opposite to entrance') and minor prepositional or agreement slips. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication, and the overall grammatical control remains consistent with a mixed inventory of simple and attempted complex forms.

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