Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

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 maps llustrate the development of a traditional cafe into a modern one with multiple redesigning and modifications.

Overall, the past cafe was a simpler one with minimal facilities available for the people. The recent cafe after improvement is a highly attractive, conventional, modern and a sophisticated type of cafe which is quite appealing featuring its coffee bar, take away opportunity, salad bar, hot meals service, barbecue and more. However, the previous cafe outlook lacks varieties.

In the first picture, the cafe before redesignation had a large area with seating arrangements and staff dining rooms at the north side. The serving area for edibles is located at the noth-west, along with the kitchen. The toilets are at the south-east corner of the cafe with a disposal bin in its front.

Whereas, the recent cafe comprises of a coffee bar, with which there is a takeaway corner as well at the north side of the cafe, replacing the staff dining rooms. Recycling bins are an addition at the south east corner, opposite to which is a salad bar. Barbecue area is facilitated featuring the outdoor seating for better food experience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully identifies the main changes between the two plans of the college cafe, covering the replacement of the staff dining rooms, the addition of outdoor seating, a barbecue, a salad bar, and updated food service counters. An overview is provided, noting the transition from a simpler traditional layout to a modern facility with diverse amenities. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in spatial referencing, such as locating the serving area in the 'noth-west' when it was positioned along the top/north-west side of the main space adjacent to the kitchen. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed adequately with relevant comparisons made where appropriate, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 or a solid Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, moving from an introduction and overall statement to specific descriptions of the past layout and the current layout. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In the first picture', and 'Whereas'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or abrupt, and some sentences lack seamless logical flow. Paragraphing is present and logically structured, but paragraph internal cohesion could be smoother. This corresponds to the Band 6 descriptor where the arrangement is coherent overall, though cohesion is occasionally faulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate the key features of the maps, using terms such as 'redesigning', 'modifications', 'amenities', and 'disposal bin'. There are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'redesignation' instead of redesign, 'edibles' for food, and 'take away opportunity'. Spelling is mostly accurate except for a typo in the opening word ('llustrate' instead of illustrate) and 'noth-west'. Less common lexical items are attempted with some inaccuracy. This fits the Band 6 descriptor where vocabulary is adequate for the task with some spelling or word-choice errors that do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The maps illustrate the development of a traditional cafe into a modern one with multiple redesigning and modifications.' and 'Barbecue area is facilitated featuring the outdoor seating for better food experience.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including missing articles ('the past cafe was a simpler one', 'Barbecue area is facilitated') and minor prepositional errors ('at the south east corner, opposite to which is a salad bar'). Despite these errors, meaning is generally clear and communication is rarely impeded. This aligns well with the Band 6 criteria for grammar.

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

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