Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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 two maps illustrate the present layout of the college cafe compared with its structure before.

Overall, the cafe has undergone significant redevelopment with many original features being removed or replaced. Outdoor seating area has now been introduced, including a salad bar, hot meals section, take away food and coffee bar section, while the kitchen and toilets has remain unchanged.

Looking at the details, on the top left corner used for serving area for food and drink has been replaced with hot meals section, whereas, kitchen has stayed at same position. On the bottom left, a salad bar has been introduced and a barbeque area is constructed outdoors, in front of a large seating area that is just introduced.

Regarding the staff dinning rooms has now been converted into take away food and a coffee bar, while the tables and chairs in front of this still remain unchanged. Moreover, bins has now been replaced by recycling bins, while toilets right next to it stayed at same position.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You provide a relevant comparison of the two plans and identify several major changes, including the new outdoor seating, salad bar, hot-meal counter, takeaway and coffee sections, and recycling bins. The overview also correctly notes that the kitchen and toilets remain in place. This gives the reader a clear general picture. However, some important details are incomplete or imprecise: the outdoor seating is described as being “in front of a large seating area,” although it is outside along the southern wall, and the two new doors connecting it to the café are not mentioned. The former staff dining rooms are converted into the takeaway and coffee sections, rather than simply being described as “converted” without explaining their arrangement. More precise coverage of these spatial relationships would make the account more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. Phrases such as “Overall,” “Looking at the details,” and “Moreover” help signal the stages of the description, and the reader can follow the main comparison. This is a coherent arrangement, though some linking and referencing are not fully controlled. For example, “this” in “the tables and chairs in front of this” has an unclear reference, and the description moves between locations without a consistent route through the plans. The overview also lists several new facilities before the detail paragraphs repeat them. To strengthen progression, organise the details systematically by area—north, west, east, then south—and use clear references to the features being compared.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing changes and locations, including “redevelopment,” “replaced,” “introduced,” “converted,” and “remains unchanged.” These choices communicate the main transformations, and terms such as “outdoors” and “position” support the map description. Some word choices and collocations are less precise or repetitive, however. “Large seating area” does not clearly identify the outdoor seating, while “section” is repeated for several facilities and “stayed at same position” is not a natural way to describe an unchanged location. There are also spelling errors in “barbeque” and “dinning.” More precise map vocabulary, such as “southern extension,” “counter,” and “adjacent to,” would improve clarity and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including comparisons with “whereas” and clauses introduced by “while.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur in agreement, articles, and verb forms. For example, “the kitchen and toilets has remain unchanged” should be “the kitchen and toilets have remained unchanged,” and “bins has now been replaced” should be “the bin has been replaced” or “the bins have been replaced.” Articles are also missing in phrases such as “at same position” and “on the bottom left.” The opening of the detail paragraph, “on the top left corner used for serving area,” is not a complete, well-formed sentence. Check subject–verb agreement and build each location description around a clear subject and verb.

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