Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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 shows before and after of a redeveloped cafe, the changes are visible as per the information relayed, which are as follow.

On the one hand, there are both minor and major alterations. To begin with, the service area, which was previously used for food and drinks, has been redesignated for hot meals, and a new salad bar section has been added to the left of it. On the contrary, the main hall with tables and seats has remained unchanged.

Aside from these changes, the most noticeable change is the outside seating, which was not existent before to the renovation but was added afterward. Also, a section of barbeque is added at the end of outdoor seating. and on the inside, staff dining rooms have been transformed into take away and coffee bar sections.

To summarize, the cafe's makeover improved development by incorporating outside seating, a salad bar, a coffee bar and a barbecue, but it also eliminated the staff dining rooms and serving area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify several important changes, including the new salad bar, outdoor seating and barbecue, and the conversion of the staff dining rooms into takeaway and coffee-bar areas. You also note that the central seating area remains unchanged, giving the response a relevant overview. However, some key details are omitted or only partly reported: the bin becoming recycling bins and the toilets remaining in place are not mentioned, and the kitchen’s continued presence is not stated. The claim that the serving area was “redesignated for hot meals” is broadly accurate, but the overall comparison could distinguish more clearly between what was retained, replaced and added. This covers the task, though some features are less fully developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, two paragraphs describing changes, and a concluding summary. The reader can follow the main points, and phrases such as “To begin with” and “Aside from these changes” help signal progression. However, the organisation is not consistently precise. “On the one hand” is not followed by a contrasting “on the other hand,” while “On the contrary” does not accurately introduce the unchanged central seating area. The final paragraph repeats several details rather than adding a distinct overview, and the sentence beginning “and on the inside” is awkwardly joined to the preceding sentence. More systematic grouping—retained features, internal changes, then outdoor additions—would make the progression smoother and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a redesign, including “redeveloped,” “transformed,” “incorporating” and “eliminated.” These choices communicate the main changes, and “remained unchanged” is an effective concise description. Some less common expressions are not used naturally or precisely: “the information relayed” is an awkward way to refer to the plans, “improved development” is unclear, and “not existent” is less idiomatic than a direct description of what was absent. There are also spelling and form issues in “barbeque” and “take away.” Aim for precise map vocabulary and natural collocations, such as “was converted into,” “was added,” and “outdoor dining area,” rather than ornate wording that obscures the meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including the relative clause in “the service area, which was previously used for food and drinks,” and the contrast in “but it also eliminated…”. Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. The opening sentence is a comma splice: “The map shows before and after of a redeveloped cafe, the changes are visible…”; it would be clearer as two sentences. In “a section of barbeque is added… and on the inside,” the sentence boundary and capitalisation are faulty, and the tense shifts from past description to present (“was added” versus “is added”). The phrase “which was not existent before to the renovation” also has an awkward grammatical construction. More consistent past-tense reporting and careful sentence boundaries would improve accuracy.

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