Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 plan compares the design of a college cafe before and after redesigning.

Overall, after renovation, the cafe area has expanded. The expanded area has been utilized for the outdoor seating arrangement. A new entry point and exit point have also been added that connects the indoor and outdoor seating arrangements of the college cafe.

New sections are introduced after redesigning like the barbecue section located outside the cafe near the outdoor seating. An additional salad bar is provided on the left side of the cafe. Having a common serving area for all food and drinks, the common area now only serves hot meals and the staff dining rooms are now redesigned and divided into two new sections that is take away food and coffee bar.

In the redesigned plan, the bin area is increased and number of bins have increased which aims to recycle the waste rather than disposing it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main transformation and provide a clear overview: the café gains outdoor seating, a barbecue area and a new entrance connection, while the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee facilities. You also report the new salad bar and the change from a general serving area to hot meals. These are relevant, accurate comparisons and give the response a clear focus. Some details are less fully developed, however: the outdoor area’s four tables and the recycling bins’ location are not described, and saying the café area has “expanded” is less precise than explaining that seating was added outside. Avoid inferring that the number or size of bins increased; the plan only shows recycling bins replacing the bin. More precise coverage of these changes would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: an introduction, an overview, then paragraphs describing the new facilities and changes to existing areas. This gives the reader a coherent account of the redesign. However, the progression within the body is sometimes less clear because several changes are packed into long sentences, particularly the sentence beginning “Having a common serving area…”. The repeated use of “new” and “area” also makes the links between points feel somewhat mechanical. Group the changes by location or function—for example, north-side counters, western additions, and southern outdoor seating—and use clearer referencing to show which former facilities each new one replaces.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “redesigning”, “outdoor seating”, “salad bar”, “hot meals” and “recycle”. These terms make the main changes understandable. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise or repetitive, though. “The cafe area has expanded” could suggest that the indoor building itself grew, whereas the plan shows seating added outside; “entry point and exit point” is also less natural than “entrance” or “doors”. Phrases such as “sections are introduced after redesigning” and “the bin area is increased” do not describe the plan precisely. Aim for concise, conventional map language and distinguish clearly between a facility being added, replaced or relocated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview sentence with “that connects” and the contrast between the former serving area and the current hot-meal counter. Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. In “the staff dining rooms are now redesigned and divided into two new sections that is…”, the verb does not agree with the plural “sections”, and the passive construction is awkward. “Having a common serving area…, the common area now only serves…” also creates an unclear opening modifier and repeats the subject. There are article and number issues in “a new entry point and exit point” and “number of bins”. Use direct sentence structures, check subject–verb agreement, and make sure introductory phrases clearly attach to the subject that follows.

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

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