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 two layouts presented showcase redesigning of a college cafe.

Overall, the renovation has made the cafe versatile and modern. Dedicated spaced for salad bar ,hot meals ,take away food, coffee bar and recyclable bins have been allocated.

On entering the old layout two staff dining rooms were present, a bin on left side of the enterance is located which is placed in front of toilet. Majority of the space is covered by tables and chair. Kitchen is located on north-eastern side of the cafe with dedicated serving area in front of it.

The expanded layout not only has indoor seating but also has outdoor seating with a barbecue alongside. Kitchen and toilets are retained where they were. New installations of take away food, coffee bar, salad bar have been made. The serving area is redesigned into dedicated hot meals unit. Recyclable bins are added in place of lone bin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation: the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee facilities, the serving counter is repurposed for hot meals, and outdoor seating with a barbecue is added. Your overview also captures the broader move towards a more varied café. Some details, however, are inaccurate or too general: the old bin was on the eastern wall, not the left, and the kitchen was in the north-west rather than north-east. The claim that the café is “expanded” is not clearly supported by the plan, which shows new outdoor seating rather than an enlarged interior. To make the account more complete and precise, describe the new salad bar’s position and note that the central seating area and toilets remain.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the former layout, and a paragraph on the current design. This gives the reader a sensible before-and-after progression, and phrases such as “In the old layout” and “The expanded layout” help signal the comparison. However, some information is compressed into lists, particularly the overview’s sequence of new facilities, so the relationships between changes are not always clear. The old-layout paragraph also moves between the bin, toilets, seating and kitchen without consistently guiding the reader around the plan. Grouping details by location or by what was retained versus added, and using more precise linking phrases, would make the progression smoother and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for describing a redesigned space, including “retained,” “dedicated,” “installations,” and “alongside.” These choices help communicate the main changes, and the meaning is generally clear. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “showcase redesigning” is awkward, “dedicated spaced” appears to be an incorrect form, and “recyclable bins” does not accurately describe bins for recycling. “Lone bin” is also less suitable for a neutral report. Aim for precise plan-description language, such as “show the redesign,” “areas allocated for,” and “recycling bins.” Check spelling as well, including “entrance.” More natural collocations and accurate word forms would improve the clarity and control of your vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple statements and more complex structures, including “The expanded layout not only has indoor seating but also has outdoor seating…” and “Kitchen and toilets are retained where they were.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation issues are noticeable. For example, “The two layouts presented showcase redesigning” has an awkward structure, while “On entering the old layout two staff dining rooms were present” uses an unclear opening phrase and needs punctuation after the introductory clause. Articles are also missing in “Kitchen and toilets are retained,” and the overview contains inconsistent spacing around commas. Practise forming direct comparison sentences with clear subjects and consistent past and present tenses; this would help you retain variety while making the writing more accurate.

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