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 plans illustrate the layout of a college cafe before it was redesigned and the same cafe at present .
Overall, the cafe has been modernised considerably. While some original features such as kitchen, toilets, tables and chairs have been retained. Many facilities have been replaced by new salad bar, barbeque, outdoor seating, takeaway food and coffee bar. However hot meals and recycling bins have been placed in place of serving area and bins.
On the north western side of the cafe, Kitchen area remained the same whereas serving area (all food and drinks) has been replaced by hot meals. In the centre, tables and chairs are retained however staff dining rooms are divided into areas for take away food and a coffee bar. To the east, small bin has been replaced by large recycling bins whereas toilets has been retained.
On the southern side, significant changes have also taken place in the cafe. Barbeque area has constructed in the south-east corner and outdoor seating area has also added beside it.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview of the changes in the college cafe. The main features are identified and reported, such as the retention of the kitchen, toilets, and central seating, alongside significant transformations like the addition of a salad bar, barbecue, and outdoor seating. Comparisons are made between the 'before' and 'after' layouts. However, there are a few minor omissions and slight inaccuracies in referencing specific details from the visual data, such as categorising certain features. Overall, the response covers the task well, providing a clear summary of the changes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is logically organised, beginning with an introductory sentence, followed by an overall summary, and then specific details broken down by spatial orientation (north-western, centre, east, and southern sides). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different sections of the cafe. Cohesive devices are generally well managed, using terms such as 'While', 'However', and 'On the north western side'. Nevertheless, some referencing and transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of passive constructions and starting sentences with prepositional phrases. Despite these minor issues, there is a clear progression throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, including terms like 'modernised considerably', 'retained', 'replaced', and 'redesigned'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary relating to the features of the cafe, such as 'barbeque area', 'outdoor seating', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are some word-choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'Barbeque area has constructed' (missing passive auxiliary 'been') and missing articles before singular countable nouns (e.g., 'Kitchen area remained', 'small bin has been replaced'). These errors do not impede communication but prevent the lexical score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinate clauses ('While some original features... have been retained') and prepositional phrases for spatial placement. There are frequent error-free sentences, demonstrating good overall control of sentence structures. However, grammatical errors persist, particularly with missing articles ('Kitchen area', 'serving area', 'toilets has been retained' - subject-verb agreement error) and missing prepositions or auxiliary verbs ('Barbeque area has constructed'). Punctuation has a few minor flaws, such as a full stop placed before the final punctuation mark in the opening paragraph. These errors occur regularly enough to place the response solidly at Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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