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 diagrams show how a college cafe is looking after redesigning and how it looked before.

Overall, an outdoor seating has been added alongside barbecue and salad bar. Staff dining rooms have been converted to a coffee bar and take away food counter.

Before, below the kitchen all food and drinks were served but after redesigning just hot meals are offered. There were two staff dining rooms previously, now the two rooms have been transformed to a coffee bar and take away food counter. Tables and chairs are still in the same area however, an outdoor seating area has been built with two doors for going inside the cafe and leaving. On the right of the outdoor seating area a barbecue has been built. There was a bin besides the entrance but now the bin has been replaced with a recycling bin. Near the bins there are toilets which are still the same. A salad bar has been built inside the cafe after redesigning which is located below the hot meals area to the wall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses the task by providing a clear overview and highlighting the main changes between the two plans. The student identifies key transformations, such as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a coffee bar and a takeaway food counter, as well as the addition of an outdoor seating area, a barbecue, and a salad bar. Key comparisons are made effectively, such as contrasting the previous food and drink serving area with the current hot meals area. While some minor details could be further elaborated to reach the highest bands, all major spatial changes are accurately reported. The response demonstrates a clear understanding of the visual data presented, fulfilling the core requirements of Academic Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text is organized with a logical overall structure, moving from an introductory overview to specific spatial details. Paragraphing is utilized, separating the introduction/overview from the detailed body description. Cohesive devices are generally deployed to guide the reader through the changes, such as 'Before', 'after redesigning', and 'On the right of the outdoor seating area'. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally feel a bit mechanical or abrupt, particularly in transitions between sentences in the second body paragraph. Additionally, the progression could be smoother if spatial features were grouped more systematically by zones, but overall the information flows adequately and is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying actions and objects related to building layout changes, such as 'redesigned', 'converted', 'transformed', 'barbecue', and 'salad bar'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items and functional descriptive phrases. However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'how a college cafe is looking after redesigning' instead of 'how a college cafe looks after being redesigned'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary choice is sufficient to communicate the main features clearly, though it lacks the wider, more flexible range required for higher band scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating passive voice constructions appropriately for describing changes, such as 'has been added' and 'have been transformed'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout, for example, 'an outdoor seating' (countable/uncountable noun error) and 'below the hot meals area to the wall' (prepositional confusion). Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the overall meaning of the descriptions remains clear. A wider control over complex sentence forms with fewer localized grammatical slips would be needed to secure a higher band score.

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

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