Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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)

This map compares a college cafe before and after its reconstruction.

Overall, this can be seen from the plan that numerous sections were replaced or newly introduced in this cafe such as hot meals, take way food, coffee bar areas and salad bar. There was also addition of an outdoor seating area at the back of the cafe.

First, some previous and unnecessary area were replaced by new ones. For instance, new hot meal section took place of serving area and staff dining rooms were replaced by take away food and coffee bar areas. In addition, the size of recycling bins was increased substantially as compared to previous ones, but location remained the same. However, the location and size of basic sections of cafe such as kitchen and toilets remained the same before and after its reconstruction.

There was also addition of some new areas, such as salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating to make this cafe more fascinating for customers. However, the overall size of cafe remained the same throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation clearly: the former serving area becomes a hot-meal counter, the staff dining rooms are replaced by takeaway and coffee facilities, and new salad-bar and outdoor areas are introduced. You also note that the kitchen and toilets remain in place, giving the response a relevant overview and covering the key before-and-after changes. Some details, however, are inaccurate or insufficiently developed. The plan shows recycling bins in the same position as the single bin, but does not indicate that their size increased. The barbecue and outdoor seating are mentioned, but their location and the new southern access doors are not described. The claim that the cafe’s overall size remained the same is also not clearly supported, since the outdoor area extends the facilities beyond the building.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. The sequence from replaced facilities to newly added areas is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “For instance,” “In addition,” and “However” help connect points. This gives the account a coherent progression. Some connections are less precise, though: “However” does not establish a clear contrast before the statement about the kitchen and toilets, and “First” suggests a sequence that is not continued with a corresponding “Second.” The repeated use of “There was also addition” makes the final paragraph feel somewhat mechanical. Grouping changes by location—for example, north wall, western wall, and southern exterior—would make the comparisons more systematic and cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of map vocabulary, including “replaced,” “remained,” “location,” and “outdoor seating,” and the reader can generally understand the changes being described. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “reconstruction” and “substantially.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “take way food” should be “takeaway food,” “hot meal section took place of” is not idiomatic, and “fascinating for customers” does not naturally describe the purpose of new cafe facilities. “Unnecessary area” also makes an unsupported judgement about the former rooms. Use precise, neutral terms such as “counter,” “facility,” and “was replaced by,” and avoid evaluative claims unless the plan supports them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “sections of cafe such as kitchen and toilets remained the same before and after its reconstruction.” Most sentences communicate the intended comparison, and errors do not generally prevent understanding. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, particularly with articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “some previous and unnecessary area were replaced” has a mismatch between the singular “area” and plural “were”; “new hot meal section” needs an article; and “There was also addition” requires an article before “addition.” The opening overview phrase “this can be seen from the plan that” is also awkwardly constructed. Review article use and singular/plural agreement, and aim to express comparisons in complete, direct clauses.

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

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