Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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 show the layout of the college cafe before it was renovated and how it looks presently.

Overall, it can be seen that several features have been added. Take away food and coffee bar have been installed, whereas tables and chairs remained unchanged.

The layout of the former cafe included a kitchen at the top of the building. Below the kitchen was a serving area for all food and drink. While the tables nd chairs were in the middle of the cafe, there were two dining rooms at the top. At the right side of the cafe was a bin just adjacent to toilets.

Recently, the kitchen,recycling bin and toilets remained unchanged. However, the serving area below the kitchen has been renamed to hot meals. The two dining areas have been replaced with take away food and a coffee bar. While chairs have been installed at the outdoor sitting area, salad bar nd barbecue area have now been added to the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main features of the college cafe before and after the redesign, and makes relevant comparisons. The overview captures the general trend of additions well, noting elements like the takeaway food and coffee bar. Key spatial changes—such as the conversion of the serving area to hot meals, the replacement of staff dining rooms, and the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating, and a barbecue—are accurately reported. While some minor details are omitted, the response is well-supported by visual data and meets the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0 range, showing a clear overall picture.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, a description of the past layout, and a description of the current layout. Cohesive devices such as 'While', 'whereas', and 'However' are used to contrast the two time periods effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and referencing throughout the text remains clear. Although the logical progression is mostly smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical ('Recently, the kitchen, recycling bin and toilets remained unchanged'), which prevents it from reaching a higher band score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating specific terms from the prompt such as 'kitchen', 'serving area', 'salad bar', and 'barbecue'. There are some minor lexical and typographical errors, such as 'tables nd chairs' and 'salad bar nd barbecue area', as well as missing articles ('at the outdoor sitting area', where 'sitting' is also a minor word-choice inaccuracy for 'seating'). However, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, fulfilling the criteria for Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses ('While the tables and chairs were in the middle...', 'While chairs have been installed...'). There are some grammatical errors and punctuation issues, such as missing spaces after commas ('kitchen,recycling bin') and spelling slips ('nd'). However, the majority of simple sentences are error-free, and the complex structures used do not impede communication. This fits the profile for a Band 6.0.

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

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