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)

The map illustrates the design of a college cafe of how it was before and how it is now.

Overall the map shows different places in college cafeteria prior to its new design and also how the college cafe got upgraded by the addition of new places.

In the old map and the new map, there are some places which remain unchanged such as the kitchen, toilets and tables and chairs. All three of these places are in the same place as they were in the old map. Also the bin is in the same location in both maps even though its size increased and it was upgraded from just a 'bin' to a 'recycling bin'. The serving area alongside the kitchen where all food and drinks were served was changed, to only serving hot meals in the new plan. Beside the kitchen there are two rooms which were previously staff dining rooms and in the new map one room is converted to a coffee bar and the other one changed take away food where students can collect their take away food.

There were also some new additions in the cafe which were not there previously in the old map such as the salad bar and the outdoor seating. Also a completely new and separate place was added for barbecue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You give a clear overview of the redesign, noting that several facilities remain and that new areas have been added. You also report key changes accurately: the serving counter now offers hot meals, the former staff dining rooms have become a coffee bar and takeaway area, and outdoor seating and a barbecue have been introduced. This addresses the main features and comparisons. Some details are less precise: the recycling bins are described as being in the same location, but the claim that their size increased is not supported by the plan. The new doors in the southern wall and the salad bar’s position along the western wall could also be reported. More exact spatial descriptions would make the account more fully developed and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction and overview are followed by unchanged features, conversions, and additions. This makes the comparison easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “Also,” and “There were also” help signal the stages of the description. However, the body is presented as two long paragraphs, and the second combines several different changes without a clear grouping. Some references are also repetitive, particularly repeated mentions of “the old map” and “the new map.” Organising the details into more distinct paragraphs—for example, internal changes followed by outdoor additions—and using more varied, precise referencing would make cohesion smoother and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “remain unchanged,” “converted,” “outdoor seating,” and “recycling bin,” which communicates the main changes. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “alongside the kitchen” and “separate place.” However, some word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise: “the design … of how it was before,” “got upgraded,” and “changed take away food” do not sound natural in a formal map description. “Places” is also repeated where more exact terms such as facilities, areas, or sections would improve precision. Aim for consistent formal phrasing and use verbs such as “was replaced by,” “was converted into,” and “was added” to describe the changes clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “even though” and “where,” and the main meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain. The opening phrase “the design … of how it was before” is not a well-formed construction; “the café’s layout before and after its redesign” would be clearer. In “one room is converted … and the other one changed,” the verb forms are inconsistent, while “changed take away food” lacks a grammatical link such as “was converted into.” The sentence beginning “The serving area … was changed” also has an unclear clause structure. Check tense consistency when describing past and present plans, and review sentence construction around coordinated clauses.

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