Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

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.

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The college cafe floor plan ilustrates the old design and the developed version as of preseent.

Overall, the floor plan showed a significant changes while some area were kept the same. The expansion of the area was also noticeable by adding alfresco dining which is suitable for barbecue.

The most significant change was the staff dining room which was converted to take away food and coffee bar. In the old design, all food and drink were both available at the serving area, but on the redesigned cafe, it was replaced by hot meals while salad bar was located at the left side of the cafe. Another recognizable change was the additon of barbeque area and outdoor seating which was a brilliant idea to enjoy alfresco dining.

The main dining remains the same with the usual tables and chairs where staff and students could enjoy their meals. There's no significant change too for toilets area. However, Bins were expanded and added so rubbish could also be recycled.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You give a clear overview that the café changed substantially while some areas remained, and you select the main developments: the former staff dining rooms became takeaway and coffee facilities, the serving counter now offers hot meals, and outdoor seating with a barbecue was added. You also correctly note that the central tables and chairs and toilets remain. This covers the key before-and-after features and supports the comparison. Some details are over-generalised or imprecise: “Bins were expanded” does not accurately describe the change from one bin to recycling bins, and the response omits the two new doors to the outdoor area. Avoid evaluative comments such as “a brilliant idea”; focus instead on describing the plan precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the principal changes and retained features. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In the old design,” and “However” help the reader follow the comparison, and the information is grouped sensibly. To make the organisation more consistently effective, use more precise links between related changes and avoid abrupt or loosely connected statements. For example, the sentence about the barbecue and outdoor seating could be connected directly to the new southern access, while the final paragraph could distinguish the unchanged toilets from the replacement of the bin with recycling bins. This would strengthen progression and make references clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a redesigned space, including “converted,” “replaced,” “located,” and “alfresco dining.” These choices help communicate the main changes, and the meaning is generally clear. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “ilustrates,” “preseent,” and “additon” are misspelled, while “Bins were expanded” is not an accurate way to describe the addition of recycling bins. “Recognizable change” and “brilliant idea” are also less suitable for a neutral report of a plan. Aim for accurate, objective terms such as “notable change,” “recycling facilities were introduced,” and “outdoor dining area,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview clause “while some area were kept the same” and the contrast between the old and redesigned café. The main information remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “a significant changes” has an article–number mismatch, “some area were” needs plural agreement, and “the staff dining room which was converted” would be clearer with a plural subject and a complete relative clause. “The main dining remains the same” and “There’s no significant change too” also show problems with article use and sentence construction. Practise accurate plural forms, articles, and complete comparisons, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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