Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01

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 diagram shows a college cafeteria before and after it was modified and how it looks now.

Overall, the cafe has been expended and it has added more space for seating. Also they have opened some new bars as well.

The Serving area used to serve all food and drink but now it is converted into a Hot meals section. Two Staff dining rooms are converted into two different sections, the left one is now a take away food section and the right one is a coffee bar. There is a new salad bar build to the left of take away food section. The cafe has introduced a new outdoor seating space parallel to the indoor seating area. It also has the facility of barbecue. Lastly, the cafe has made slightly a bigger corner for the recycling bins. The cafe has not only changed the previous setting but also introduced more space for sitting and a variety of new sections.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, including the new seating areas, the conversion of the staff rooms, and the addition of the salad bar and barbecue facility. The overview is clear and highlights the key changes effectively. However, the response could be improved by grouping the information more logically rather than listing changes sequentially. For instance, categorizing the changes into 'seating' and 'food service' would provide a more analytical approach. While all parts of the task are addressed, the description of the recycling bins is a minor detail that could have been omitted in favor of more detailed comparisons of the layout changes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into three paragraphs, which is appropriate for a short report. There is a clear overall progression from the introduction to the overview and then the specific details. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Also', and 'Lastly', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the connection between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the serving area and the staff dining rooms could be improved to show a better flow of information. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but the body paragraph could be split to better separate the different types of changes.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'converted', 'parallel', and 'facility' used correctly. However, there are some inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'expended' (likely meant 'expanded'), 'new salad bar build' (should be 'built'), and 'made slightly a bigger corner'. These errors do not impede communication but indicate a need for more precise word choice. To reach a higher band, the student should aim for more sophisticated collocations related to describing maps and changes, such as 'undergone a transformation' or 'relocated'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the left one is now a take away food section' (missing articles) and 'the cafe has made slightly a bigger corner' (incorrect word order). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding the content. The student demonstrates an attempt at complex sentences, but control over these structures is inconsistent. More attention to subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

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