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 illustration shows the layout of a college cafe before redesigning and how it appears at present.

Overall, the basic layout of the building has largely presisted with some notable modifications and new additions done over time.

Before redesign, the cafe comprised of two staff dining rooms, a dining area with tables and chairs, bins, toilets, a kitchen and a serving area adjacent to the kitchen. There were two seperate doors to enter and to exit to the buidling. At present, the dining area, the toilets, the kitchen, the main entrance and exit remain in their original locations.

The serving area is now being used to prepare hot meals. Recycling bins are placed in the location where bins were kept earlier. Two staff dining rooms have been transformed into a coffee bar and a counter for take away food. A new salad bar has been opened in the side of the building opposite to the recycling bins. Outside the main building, an outdoor seating area has been constructed, including a barbecue station. An entrance and an exit have been made addtionally connecting the outside area to the indoor dining area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview that the building’s basic layout has largely remained while new facilities have been added, and it covers the main changes: the former staff rooms become takeaway and coffee areas, the serving counter is for hot meals, and outdoor seating with a barbecue is introduced. Most locations are reported accurately, including the unchanged kitchen and toilets and the replacement of the bin with recycling bins. Some details are generalised: the new salad bar is described only as being on the side opposite the bins, and the two new southern doors are called an entrance and an exit, although the plan simply shows doors connecting to the outdoor area. More precise spatial descriptions and a fuller account of the outdoor tables would strengthen an otherwise well-focused summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs that move from the original arrangement to the changes. This gives the reader a clear overall progression, and links such as “At present” and “Outside the main building” help signal shifts in time and location. However, the final paragraph presents several changes in a sequence of short, similarly structured statements, so the relationships between them can feel somewhat list-like. Grouping the internal changes together and then describing the outdoor additions as a distinct unit would make the progression more deliberate. Some references, such as “the side of the building opposite to the recycling bins,” are understandable but less direct than naming the western wall.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a redesigned plan, including “adjacent,” “transformed,” “constructed,” and “remain in their original locations.” These choices communicate the main changes clearly. However, some wording is imprecise or less natural for this task: “the layout … before redesigning” is awkward, “opened in the side” is not an idiomatic way to describe a facility’s position, and “entrance and an exit” over-interprets the doors shown. Spelling slips such as “presisted,” “seperate,” “buidling,” and “addtionally” also limit accuracy. Aim for precise plan-description phrases and check spelling carefully; this would make the vocabulary more controlled and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview clause “has largely … with some notable modifications” and the participial phrase “including a barbecue station.” Most sentences remain easy to understand, but some grammatical errors are present. For example, “the cafe comprised of” needs either “comprised” or “was comprised of,” while “before redesigning” does not form a suitable time phrase in this sentence. The phrase “an outdoor seating area has been constructed” is accurate, but “an entrance and an exit have been made additionally connecting” is awkwardly constructed and would be clearer as “two doors have been added to connect…”. Greater control of verb patterns and sentence construction would improve accuracy.

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

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