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 map illustrates the changes that took place in a college cafe in the past and present.

Overall, the college cafe has undergone significant changes in its layout and facilities. Several areas were relocated and replaced, while new facilities, such as hotel meals, takeaway foods, and a coffee bar, were introduced.

In the past, the cafe had a kitchen and serving area in the northeast corner, while the toilets were in the southwest corner. In the centre of the cafe, there were tables and chairs, and the staff dining rooms were on the north side of the cafe, while bins were on the west side of the cafe.

At present, the serving area has been converted by hot meals, while staff dining rooms have been replaced by takeaway food and coffee bar. The bins have been converted by recycling bins and a salad bar has been installed. A barbecue and a outdoor seating have been installed on the south side of the cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully highlights the main features and significant changes in the college cafe. An adequate overview is provided in the second paragraph, outlining the overall transformation. Key spatial details are reported, such as the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a takeaway food area and coffee bar, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, there are some minor spatial inaccuracies in the body paragraphs; for example, the kitchen and serving area were originally in the northwest/upper-left rather than the northeast, and the original bins were on the east side rather than the west. Despite these minor misreadings, the response covers all parts of the task well and provides clear comparisons between the past and present layouts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement, followed by an overview, a description of the past layout, and finally the present layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate these distinct aspects of the visual data. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In the past', and 'At present' are employed to guide the reader through the comparison. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel a bit mechanical, and some transitions are basic. Nevertheless, the logical sequence is maintained throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, including terms like 'relocated', 'replaced', 'converted', and 'installed'. However, there are notable collocation and preposition errors that detract from precision, such as 'converted by hot meals' instead of 'converted into hot meals', and 'a outdoor seating' instead of 'outdoor seating'. Despite these lexical slips, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning and communicate the spatial changes effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilizing passive voice constructions effectively ('has undergone significant changes', 'has been installed'). While many sentences are grammatically sound, there are several errors in prepositions and articles, such as 'a outdoor seating' (which also involves an article error) and awkward phrasing like 'converted by recycling bins'. Punctuation is generally correct, and the errors do not impede overall communication, placing the response solidly in the band 6 category.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.