Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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 pictures illustrate the floor plans of a cafe, one from before it was redesigned and the other from how it looks like today after refurbishments.

Overall the area remained the same, however some new amenities are introduced like coffee bar, salad bar and barbecue. Outdoor seating is now available in addition to the option of take away.

Kitchen remains in the same place as before and the serving area where all foods and drinks were served is now called hot meals section. Tables and chairs for customer seating and toilets also sit where they were previously. However, bin is replaced by large recycling bins.

The place for staff dining room in the past is now partly used for take away food section and the other half is designated to the coffee bar. When returning fom hot meals area, on the right is now salad bar that is newly introduced. The face of the cafe now has outdoor seating and also the barbecue in the left corner.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by outlining the main features of the college cafe before and after the redesign, presenting clear comparisons between the two layouts. An overview is included right at the beginning, noting the general stability of the area alongside key changes such as the introduction of a coffee bar, salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating. While the main features are highlighted well, certain descriptions tend to be a bit brief or descriptive rather than fully developed into deeper analysis, which places the response at this level. Nevertheless, all reported information accurately matches the visual data provided, showing a clear understanding of spatial changes like the conversion of the staff dining rooms and the addition of recycling bins.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introductory overview to specific spatial comparisons. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate different areas of the building, such as the kitchen and northern sections versus the western and southern additions. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen in transitions like 'When returning fom hot meals area, on the right is now salad bar', where referencing is slightly clumsy and cohesive devices lack smooth flexibility. Furthermore, while the general flow is clear, tighter logical connectors would elevate the structure to a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully conveying spatial relationships and functional changes using terms like 'amenities', 'refurbishments', 'designated', and 'redevelopment'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items with general success, though there are minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'The face of the cafe now has outdoor seating' instead of 'The exterior' or 'The southern side'. Spelling is generally accurate, but occasional minor lexical slips prevent the vocabulary range from feeling fully precise or sophisticated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, effectively utilizing clauses to compare past and present layouts. There are some grammatical errors in article usage, prepositions, and singular-plural agreement, such as omitting articles ('remain in same place', 'bin is replaced by large recycling bins') and minor typographical slips like 'returning fom'. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the descriptions easily. Good control of basic sentence structures is evident throughout, though a wider variety of error-free complex structures is needed for a higher band.

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