Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22

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 illustrate the layout of a college cafe before and after its redesign.

Overall, the basic layout of cafe remained largely unchanged, with the kitchen, seating area and toilets retaining their positions. However, several new facilities were introduced, including a takeaway area, a coffee bar, salad bar, barbecue and outdoor seating, while the staff dinning rooms were removed.

Looking first at the kitchen remained unchanged in the top left corner, although the serving area for food and drink was replaced by a section of hot meals. The two staff dinning rooms in the central part of the cafe were removed and replaced by take away food and coffer bar. However, table and chairs remained in the central seating area. On the right side toilets retained their original position, while recycling bins were added next to them.

Several new facilities were also added the outside of the cafe. A salad bar was introduced along the left hand wall, while the barbecue was added at the bottom- left corner of the cafe. In addition, an outdoor sitting area was created at the bottom- center of the cafe, providing customers with additional space to eat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign, and makes clear comparisons where relevant. The overview correctly highlights the main changes, such as the retention of the kitchen, toilets, and central seating, alongside the introduction of new facilities and the removal of the staff dining rooms. Key features like the addition of the salad bar, barbecue, outdoor seating, takeaway area, and coffee bar are accurately reported. The response covers all parts well with appropriate detail, aligning closely with a Band 7.5 descriptor, rounded here to Band 7.0 for minor generalisations in positioning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically by location and feature across four distinct paragraphs. The student uses cohesive devices effectively to guide the reader through the comparison, starting with an introductory overview and moving systematically through different areas of the cafe. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and referencing (e.g., 'the kitchen remained unchanged', 'the two staff dining rooms... were removed') is clear and consistent. Cohesion is well managed, supporting an overall coherent reading experience.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision suited to describing visual data, using terms such as 'layout', 'redesign', 'retaining', and 'facilities'. However, there are a few noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'dinning' instead of 'dining' and 'coffer bar' instead of 'coffee bar'. Additionally, some phrasing is slightly awkward, such as 'added the outside of the cafe'. Despite these occasional errors, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including introductory subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Looking first at the kitchen remained unchanged...', though this particular structure contains a grammatical slip). There are several grammatical and mechanical errors throughout the text, such as missing prepositions ('added the outside'), a fused verb construction ('kitchen remained unchanged'), and spelling slips. Nevertheless, the majority of sentences are understandable, and the errors do not impede communication, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

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

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