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.

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

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The diagrams represent the changes between the old and the newly designed college cafe.

Overall, the cafe was expanded with a larger seating capacity; however, staff dining rooms were removed from the new design. Moreover, a well-designed, categorized service section is implemented, keeping the kitchen, toilets, and bins' locations in the renovation.

Firstly, the major change between the designs is the seating capacity. Keeping the previous positions of tables and chairs in the middle of the cafe same, extra seating arrangement is placed in the outside of the cafe with a barbecue corner. On the otherhand, the staff dining rooms are renovated to a take away food place and a coffe bar.

Furthermore, the serving area for all foods and drink is replaced by the position for hot meals ans new side is setted as salad bar just beside the kitchen entry. Although, bins are kept in same place but it has changed into recycling bins.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of the main redesign, noting the added outdoor seating and barbecue, the removal of the staff dining rooms, and the retention of the kitchen, toilets and bin area. It also accurately describes the new takeaway and coffee-bar sections, hot-meal counter and salad bar. These details address the key changes and are generally well selected. To make the account more fully developed, include other notable spatial changes, especially the two new southern doors connecting the café to the outdoor seating, and clarify that the central tables and chairs remain. The phrase “larger seating capacity” is a reasonable summary, but the comparison would be stronger if supported with more precise details about the new outdoor tables.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing changes. Its progression from seating and staff facilities to food-service areas is generally logical, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Firstly” and “Furthermore” help guide the reader. However, the final paragraph ends abruptly, and the description does not consistently group features by location or distinguish retained features from replacements. “Although” begins a clause that is not properly connected to a main clause, making the final point less smooth. For stronger cohesion, organise the details into clear comparisons—for example, north-side changes, interior service changes, and additions to the south—and use references such as “these facilities” only when their meaning is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing the redesign, including “seating capacity,” “renovated,” “replaced” and “recycling bins.” These choices communicate the main changes, and the writer attempts more specific language such as “categorized service section.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “extra seating arrangement is placed,” “the position for hot meals,” and “a new side is setted as salad bar.” Spelling errors in “coffe” and “otherhand,” along with “ans,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for standard map-description phrases such as “was converted into,” “was added along the western wall,” and “outdoor seating area,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “however” and a subordinate clause beginning “Although.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “Keeping the previous positions … same” lacks a grammatical construction such as “while the central tables and chairs remained in the same position.” The sentence beginning “Although, bins are kept…” is incomplete because “although” introduces a dependent clause without a main clause. There are also problems with articles and prepositions in “in the outside of the cafe” and “beside the kitchen entry.” Use past-tense forms consistently for the before-and-after comparison, and check that each subordinate clause is attached to a complete sentence.

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

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