Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23
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 figures illustrate modifications that are done in a college cafe and how it looked before the redesigning.
Overall, the cafe has been extended outwards where a barbecue bar and an outdoor seating is designed. The kitchen and toilets remained unchanged, whereas the serving area as well as staff dining rooms are now used for hot meals, take away food and a coffee bar, respectively. The area for bin has been enlarged and converted into recycling bins. The area for tables and chairs remained at its position but a new salad bar and two entrances have been designed in it.
The cafe had a kitchen in the north-western side of the area which remained at its position, but the serving area for all food and drink next to it has been changed into a compartment for hot meals. Earlier two rooms served as staff dining rooms but now one of them is used for the take away food, while other one is a coffee bar. Moreover, the bin in the south-eastern side of the cafe has been enlarged and used as a recycling bin.
Although, toilets in the south-eastern cornor remained unchanged but an entrance has been built next to it. A salad bar has also been added in the south-western side of the tables and chairs area. An exit has been designed in the south-western side of the area which opens into the outdoor seating area. The cafe has been widened outwards where a barbecue bar and an outdoor seating are built there.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response successfully covers all major features of the two plans, providing a clear overview of the principal changes, such as the outdoor extension and the conversion of the serving and staff areas. The student compares the 'before' and 'today' layouts effectively. While the description covers the general transformations well, there are minor inaccuracies in spatial references (e.g., placing the salad bar in the south-west when it is along the western wall, and referring to the south-eastern corner rather than south-western for certain features). Nevertheless, all parts of the prompt are addressed, presenting a well-developed summary that earns a solid band score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text is logically organised into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs detailing specific spatial changes. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the comparison (e.g., 'Overall', 'whereas', 'Moreover', 'Although'). Paragraphing is appropriate, and each paragraph has a clear focus. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and logical progression within the detailed body paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a higher band. Overall, the arrangement is coherent and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map transformation, using terms such as 'modifications', 'extended outwards', 'converted into', and 'unaltered'. There are some attempts at less common lexical items, though a few awkward collocations appear, such as 'redesigning' instead of 'redesign' and 'barbecue bar' instead of 'barbecue area'. Spelling is generally accurate, and word choices do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably in the band 6 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating passive voice effectively (e.g., 'has been extended', 'are now used', 'has been built'). There are some grammatical errors, particularly with prepositions and tense consistency (e.g., 'modifications that are done' instead of 'modifications that have been made', and 'while other one' instead of 'while the other one'). However, these errors do not impede overall communication and the majority of sentences are understandable, supporting a band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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