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 following plans illustrate the before and after versions of a redesigned college cafe.

Overall, the cafe has been upgraded to an increased area with the addition of barbecue and outdoor seating. Kitchen and toilets have remained roughly the same, tables and chairs has a slightly reduced area while barbecue, outdoor seating and salad bar have been introduced. There have also been a few additional replacement upgrades.

While kitchen has remained the same, there has been a transformation in the way food and drinks are served at the cafe. Serving area has been renamed to hot meals and the staff dining rooms have been swapped for take away food and coffee bar. Toilets area has remained similar while bins have been upgraded to recycling bins.

Apart from these changes, a salad bar has been set up in front of the kitchen and hot meals station, which reduces the overall area available for tables and chairs. One of the major upgrades is a barbecue station and outdoor seating for the cafe which can be accessed from the tables and chairs area via the door next to the toilets.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making clear comparisons between the before and after plans of the college cafe. An overall trend is identified in the introductory and second paragraphs, such as the expansion of the cafe area and the introduction of outdoor facilities. Key spatial changes are accurately reported, including the addition of the salad bar, the replacement of staff dining rooms with a take away food section and coffee bar, and the inclusion of a barbecue and outdoor seating area. The ideas are well extended and supported, though a tendency to slightly generalise certain details prevents the response from reaching the highest band. Overall, the visual data is interpreted accurately without any significant omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped sensibly into paragraphs, moving from an overall summary to specific modifications of the indoor space, and finally highlighting the outdoor and peripheral changes. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to link ideas, such as 'While kitchen has remained the same' and 'Apart from these changes'. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive in structure. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, guiding the reader smoothly through the spatial comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, providing sufficient range to describe the changes with some flexibility and precision. The student attempts less common items and functional phrases, such as 'redesigned', 'upgraded', 'transformation', and 'recycled bins'. While communication is clear and the word choices are generally appropriate, there are some occasional inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as omitting necessary articles (e.g., 'While kitchen has remained the same' instead of 'While the kitchen') and slight awkwardness in phrasing like 'an increased area'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, allowing the text to be read with ease.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a decent command of structures suitable for describing spatial layouts. There are some error-free sentences, particularly when making overall comparisons and detailing spatial features. However, a number of grammatical errors persist, mostly concerning missing articles (e.g., 'tables and chairs has a slightly reduced area', 'Toilets area') and minor prepositional inconsistencies. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the punctuation is handled well throughout the piece.

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