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 maps show the development of a college cafe before and after it was restructured.

Overall, the cafe is improved in terms of its services. The canteen now has more doors and food options than its earlier design with more seating capacity as it has now outdoor seating option as well.

The canteen has increased its number of food stations. Previously, there was only one serving place for all types of meals and drinks which is now replaced with hot meals only station. Towards the western edge, we can see a new salad bar inside and a barbecue booth outside the cafe, right beside an exit and along the outdoor sitting capacity.

Earlier there were two distinct staff dining rooms which are now transformed into a coffee bar and a take away station, marking it a downgrade and upgrade simultaneously. The space for kitchen, toilets and inside sitting area remains the same as previously whereas the bin is changed to a recycling bin now.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview of the main changes and selecting relevant features to compare between the two plans. You correctly noted the expansion of food options, the addition of outdoor seating, and the reconfiguration of the staff rooms into a coffee bar and takeaway station. However, some details are slightly subjective or evaluative, such as describing the transformation of the staff rooms as 'marking it a downgrade and upgrade simultaneously,' which drifts slightly from objective reporting. To achieve a higher band, ensure that all descriptions remain strictly factual and fully develop comparisons regarding spatial layouts without relying on personal assessments.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression, guiding the reader logically from the general overview into specific spatial transformations in the body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are generally handled well, as seen in transition markers like 'Overall', 'Previously', and 'Earlier'. However, paragraphing could be structured more cleanly, and referencing is occasionally mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'The canteen' and 'the cafe'. To reach the next level, employ a wider and more seamless variety of cohesive phrases to link sentences and paragraphs, ensuring that referencing pronouns and transitional links feel entirely natural throughout the report.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

An adequate range of vocabulary is used to accomplish the task, with successful attempts at less common phrasing such as 'reconfigured', 'restructured', and 'outdoor seating option'. You demonstrate a reasonable command of topic-specific vocabulary related to floor plans and amenities. Nevertheless, there are some minor word choice and collocation slips, such as 'inside sitting capacity' instead of 'indoor seating area', and 'bin is changed to a recycling bin'. These minor inaccuracies do not impede communication, but to secure a higher band, you should aim for greater precision in lexical collocations and incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The essay displays a satisfactory mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and prepositional phrases effectively. There is good control over basic verb tenses used to describe past and present layouts, such as 'remains the same' and 'are now transformed'. However, a few grammatical errors and awkward phrasing persist, such as 'as it has now outdoor seating option' (missing article) and punctuation slips. These errors rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow your points easily. To push into higher bands, aim for a wider variety of complex structures with error-free execution and finer control over articles and word order.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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