Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 floor plans compare layout of college cafe before and after its redesign.

Overall, the redesigned cafe has replaced the staff-only rooms with more various food counters and introduced outdoor seating that was not previously exist.However, the tables and chairs area somewhat reduced to accomodate these changes.

In the original design, the cafe consisted of single serving area, located next to the kitchen, along with two separate staff dining rooms positioned in the centre of the cafe.The toilets and bin are situated at the rear of the cafe, alongside the main settings.

In the current layout, the staff-dining rooms have been removed entirely and replaced by several food counters including, hot meals, salad bar, a coffee bar and a take away food counter.The bins have been replaced by recycling bins,still located at the rear near of the toilets.Additionally, an outdoor seating area with a barbecue has been added, along the front of the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The candidate successfully covers all parts of the task by comparing the layout of the college cafe before and after its redesign. An effective overview is provided, highlighting the replacement of staff-only rooms with various food counters and the introduction of outdoor seating. Key features are accurately reported and contrasted, such as the transformation of the northern staff rooms into a take-away food counter and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar on the western wall, and the inclusion of an outdoor seating area with a barbecue. The information is fully grounded in the provided visual data, with no major omissions or significant misinterpretations, meeting the requirements of a Band 7.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory sentence and a concise overview paragraph, followed by two body paragraphs detailing the original layout and the current layout respectively. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall', 'In the original design', and 'In the current layout', though some linking and referencing could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct stages or states of the cafe. Minor cohesive flaws, such as missing articles and slight awkwardness in transitions, place this firmly at Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a spatial layout and architectural changes, employing terms such as 'redesign', 'counter', 'reconfigured', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are some noticeable lexical and collocational inaccuracies, such as 'more various food counters' instead of 'a greater variety of food counters' and 'main settings' instead of 'main seating'. Spelling is generally accurate, but occasional awkward phrasing and word choices prevent the score from reaching higher bands. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, aligning with a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar with structures like 'the redesigned cafe has replaced... and introduced... that was not previously exist' (though containing a tense error). Several grammatical errors occur throughout the text, including article omissions ('compare layout of college cafe'), verb tense/form errors ('that was not previously exist' instead of 'that did not previously exist'), and punctuation issues (missing spaces after periods). However, these errors rarely impede overall communication, supporting a Band 6.0 descriptor.

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

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