Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-21

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 6.0)

The layout image compares the redesigned college café on how it looked before and now.

Starting with the Kitchen, it remained unchanged in today’s plan, while the Serving area has become Hot meals area. Moving on to the Staff dining rooms, which now are for Take away food and Coffee bar. Looking at the middle right, they upgraded the Bin to Recycling bins, and they added a Salad bar to today’s plan, while Tables and chairs, as well as Toilets are the same compared to the Café before layout.

Looking at the south side of the plan, there is a noticeable change between the Café before and today. In today’s plan there is an extension to the Café, where an Outdoor seating area was added, placing extra tables and chairs, together with a Barbecue station.

Overall, while comparing the before and today’s college café plan, few areas remained unchanged, while new areas are added like the Salad bar, Outdoor area and Barbecue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the redesign well, identifying key changes such as the new outdoor area and the conversion of the serving area. However, the overview is somewhat weak; it lists features rather than synthesising the overall transformation (e.g., the shift from a purely indoor facility to one with expanded outdoor amenities). While the task is addressed, the description of the layout changes is occasionally repetitive, and the report could benefit from a more analytical approach to the spatial changes rather than a simple list of what moved or stayed the same.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised into clear paragraphs, moving from the interior changes to the exterior extension. Cohesive devices such as 'Starting with', 'Moving on to', and 'Looking at' are used to guide the reader through the plan. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly forced. The referencing is generally clear, though the use of 'today's plan' is repeated frequently, which makes the text feel a bit repetitive. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the progression of information is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with accurate use of terms like 'redesigned', 'extension', and 'outdoor seating area'. There is some repetition of basic phrases such as 'today's plan' and 'before layout'. To reach a higher band, the student should aim for more varied synonyms for 'change' (e.g., 'transformed', 'converted', 'replaced') and more precise descriptive language regarding the layout. The current range is sufficient to convey the information clearly, but it lacks the sophistication required for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some minor grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'The layout image compares the redesigned college café on how it looked before and now' (which is slightly awkward) and 'the Café before layout'. Punctuation is generally handled well, and the errors present do not impede communication. The range of structures is sufficient, but more variety in complex sentence forms would improve the score. The control of grammar is generally good, with only occasional slips.

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

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