Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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 plans in the diagram illustrate the college cafe before and after it was redesigned.

The biggest change we can see in the plans is the newly added barbecue and outdoor seating. Furthermore we can see that the staff dining rooms have been replaced by a take away food counter and a coffee bar right next to each other.

Besides these major changes we can observe that the serving area in the kitchen has been replace with a hot meals counter. Additionally a salad bar has been added to the cafe on the left side along the wall near the kitchen.

Also we can see that the bin on the right side of the cafe had been replaced by recycling bins. In the outdoor seating there are five tables with three tables having six seats each and the remaining two tables having four seats each. We can also see that two door have been added in the cafe, one to go into the outdoor area and one to go back into the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main redesign clearly, especially the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. You also report the hot-meals counter, salad bar, recycling bins and the toilets’ continued location. However, some details are inaccurate: the plan shows four outdoor tables, not five, and the two new doors both lead from the café to the outdoor area; one is not a route “back into the cafe.” The overview is also limited because it does not mention that the central tables-and-chairs area and toilets remain, or that the kitchen stays in place. These omissions and misread details leave some features less fully covered than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is presented in a generally logical sequence: you begin with the major changes, then describe changes to the counters and bins, and finish with the outdoor area. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “Besides these major changes,” and “Additionally” help show how the details relate. The response is nevertheless arranged as one continuous block, and repeated openings such as “we can see” and “Also we can see” make the progression somewhat mechanical. A clearer paragraph structure—an overview followed by indoor changes and then outdoor features—would make the comparison easier to follow. The final sentence also needs clearer reference to the two doors, since both connect the café with the outdoor seating.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing a plan, including “replaced,” “counter,” “along the wall,” and “outdoor seating.” These choices communicate the main changes clearly, and terms such as “barbecue” and “recycling bins” are appropriately specific. Some phrasing is less precise or natural: “the biggest change we can see” and repeated “we can see” are conversational and repetitive, while “the serving area in the kitchen” may suggest that the serving area is inside the kitchen rather than beside it. “Five tables” is a factual error rather than a vocabulary issue. To strengthen the description, use more concise plan language such as “the most notable change” and “the former serving counter.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple statements and more complex structures, including “the staff dining rooms have been replaced by…” and “with three tables having six seats each.” Most sentences are understandable, and the present perfect is generally used to describe changes. Some errors remain: “has been replace” should be “has been replaced,” “two door” should be “two doors,” and “had been replaced” is an awkward tense choice for a comparison that is still relevant now; “has been replaced” is more suitable. The sentence about the outdoor tables is also structurally confusing because it says there are five tables but then refers to three and two groups. More accurate verb forms, plurals and sentence construction would improve control.

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