Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 two map illustrate the layout of a college cafe before and after it was restructured. Overall, the cafe underwent major changes, including a hot-meals area, additional outdoor seating arrangement, and introducing a salad bar. However, some areas such as kitchen and toilets remained unchanged.

In the north-western area, kitchen remained unchanged, while serving area of all food and drinks was transformed into a hot-meals section. In the center, two staff dining rooms were converted into two different section: one became a take away food area and another was turned into a coffee bar.

Several other changes were also made to the cafe. On the eastern side, the original bin was replaced by a recycling bin. Regarding the new amenities, a newly salad bar was opened in the west and outside the cafe two new doors were added, providing the access to the outdoor seating area. Furthermore, a barbeque was introduced outside the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively addresses the prompt by summarising the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign, while making relevant comparisons. In the introduction, the writer outlines the major changes, such as the hot-meals area and the salad bar, as well as features that remained unchanged, like the kitchen and toilets. Key spatial transformations are reported accurately across the body paragraphs, noting how the serving area became a hot-meals section and how staff dining rooms were converted into a take-away area and a coffee bar. Additional exterior developments, including the outdoor seating, new doors, and a barbeque, are also highlighted. Although a few minor details could be further elaborated, the task is fully covered, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction providing an overall summary, followed by body paragraphs detailing indoor modifications and exterior or amenity additions. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall', 'In the north-western area', 'while', and 'Furthermore', guiding the reader smoothly through the spatial changes. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, and referencing between ideas remains clear. While a few transitions could be more flexible to reach the highest bands, the overall structure supports a coherent reading experience, comfortably meeting the standard for Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task describing spatial changes, incorporating terms such as 'restructured', 'transformed', 'converted', and 'amenities'. There are occasional lexical inaccuracies and word-form errors, notably writing 'a newly salad bar' instead of 'a new salad bar' and using 'map' in the singular plural agreement ('The two map illustrate') in the opening sentence. Despite these slips, the vocabulary used is adequate to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication. Less common items are attempted with some awareness of style and collocation, placing this response firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses and passive constructions like 'were converted into' and 'was replaced by'. There are some grammatical errors present, such as the subject-verb agreement issue in 'The two map illustrate' and the missing article/adjective error in 'a newly salad bar'. However, these errors do not impede communication, and many sentences remain error-free. The punctuation and general sentence control are satisfactory for a Band 6.0 performance, reflecting an adequate command of grammar for routine academic descriptions.

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

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