Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 illustrate the outline of a cafe in a college before and after redesigning the plan.

Overall, the L-shaped cafe plan before the redesign was so basic compared to the new version. Although several rooms remained at the same place, many new developments took place in the new design such as outdoor seating.

In the past design, the central area is mostly filled with tables and chairs with toilets situated towards the Southeast corner. While, the two dining rooms for staff are located to the north side close to the serving area. The kitchen is in the top most Northwest corner.

In the new plan, the serving area is replaced by hot meals section. The staff dining rooms are occupied by take away counter and coffee bar. Whereas, the a salad bar is the newest addition in the West and a new barbecue shop was added by extending the place in the Southwest corner. Although the tables and chairs remained same, the outdoor area is added with more facilities opposite of the barbecue section. The bins in the East are now upgraded to recyclin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the two diagrams of the college cafe before and after its redesign. Key features are selected and reported, such as the introduction of outdoor seating, a salad bar, and a barbecue shop, along with changes to the serving and staff areas. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the main trends of the transformation. However, some minor details are slightly imprecise, such as mentioning that 'the tables and chairs remained same' while the plan shows a reorganisation and addition of outdoor furniture. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of Task 1 well, covering the main spatial changes with clear comparative language.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text is logically organised with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and detailed body paragraphs covering the past and present layouts. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the comparisons, such as 'Overall', 'Although', 'In the past design', and 'In the new plan'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overall summary from specific spatial changes. However, referencing is occasionally slightly loose, as seen in 'While, the two dining rooms...', where punctuation and connection between sentences disrupt the flow. Furthermore, the response trails off abruptly at the very end with 'recyclin', indicating an incomplete final sentence that slightly affects overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and spatial changes, incorporating terms like 'redesigned', 'Southeast corner', 'serving area', and 'take away counter'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary and collocation, such as 'newest addition', 'extending the place', and 'upgraded to recyclin'. However, word choice and phrasing occasionally sound slightly unnatural, as in 'before and after redesigning the plan' rather than 'before and after the redesign'. There are also minor lexical slips and an unfinished word at the conclusion, but these do not heavily impede general communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilising subordinate clauses introduced by 'Although', 'While', and 'whereas'. Grammatical control is generally adequate; however, there are noticeable errors in tense consistency and prepositional usage. For instance, the writer shifts between past and present awkwardly ('the central area is mostly filled' vs 'In the past design...'), and makes minor structural slips such as 'the outdoor area is added with more facilities' and 'a salad bar is the newest addition in the West'. Punctuation and article usage also show occasional flaws. Despite these errors, meaning remains largely clear throughout.

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

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