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.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The following maps demonstrate a comparison in the college cafe infrastructure before and after redesigning.

Overall, the college cafe has gone through a complete renovation and change in its design. The newer version of it offers many key features including coffee bar, outdoor seating, salad bar and barbecue.

There are many similarities between the both designs of the cafe. These include the kitchen which is in the same location and toilets stood in the same corner. The indoor seating remained alike.

On the other hand, the new design offers many more facilities like, the coffee bar and take out food counter which has replaced the staff dining area. The bins have been developed into recycling bins. There is a considerable development in the form of an outdoor seating area alongwith the barbecue counter which is recently added. Salad bar is a new addition in the redesigned cafe. The serving area is replaced by hot meals station too.

To conclude, there has been a positive development in the cafe and the new design offers more facilities than the old one but it lacks a dining area for the staff.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall change—that the café now has more facilities—and report several accurate comparisons, including the unchanged kitchen and toilets, the replacement of staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, and the new outdoor seating and barbecue. This covers the task well, and the overview is clear. Some details are less fully developed: for example, you say the indoor seating “remained alike” without explaining that the central tables and chairs remain, and the new southern doors and the recycling bins’ location are not described. The conclusion that the redesign is “positive” is an opinion rather than a map feature; a more objective summary of the main changes would strengthen the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph on similarities, and one on changes. This makes the comparison easy to follow, and signposts such as “Overall” and “On the other hand” help guide the reader. However, the final “To conclude” paragraph repeats the overview rather than adding a distinct summary, and some transitions feel mechanical. The similarities paragraph is brief, while the changes are grouped together in a long paragraph, so the organisation could be more balanced. Consider grouping changes by area—for example, the north and west interior, then the eastern and southern features—and using clear references to connect each comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing a redesigned space, including “renovation,” “replaced,” “recycling bins,” and “outdoor seating.” These choices communicate the main changes, and you attempt more specific terms such as “facilities.” Some word choices and collocations are less natural or precise: “cafe infrastructure” is awkward for the layout, “the indoor seating remained alike” is unclear, and “barbecue counter” does not accurately name the barbecue area. “Alongwith” should be written as two words, and “take out food” is better expressed as “takeaway food” in this context. More consistent use of the plan’s labels would improve precision and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “On the other hand” and the relative clause in “which has replaced the staff dining area.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions are present. For example, “between the both designs” has an unnecessary article, and “toilets stood in the same corner” uses an unsuitable tense for describing a plan. In “There is a considerable development … which is recently added,” the tense and clause structure are not well controlled. The opening phrase “before and after redesigning” also leaves the subject of the redesign unclear. Use consistent present-tense descriptions of the plans and check articles, verb forms, and sentence construction.

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