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At present, the serving area has been replaced by hot meals, while staff dining rooms have been replaced by takeaway food and coffee bar. The bins have been replaced by recycling bins and a salad bar has been installed.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 addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two plans. The overview is clear, noting the significant changes in layout and facilities, such as the introduction of hot meals and outdoor seating. However, there are a few minor locational inaccuracies in the body paragraphs; for example, the kitchen and serving area in the past are placed in the 'northeast corner' rather than the northwest, and the toilets are placed in the southwest rather than the southeast. Despite these minor misreadings of the compass directions, the response covers the transformation well, identifying most key alterations accurately, which places it comfortably at Band 6.5 to 7.0. Given the general coverage and clear structure, it earns a solid band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organized logically with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and distinct body paragraphs comparing the past and present layouts. Cohesive devices such as 'In the past' and 'At present' are used effectively to guide the reader through the temporal comparison. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate general trends from specific spatial details. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel a bit repetitive or mechanical (e.g., repeating 'of the cafe'). Overall progression is clear and logical throughout, justifying a band 7.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like 'layout', 'relocated', 'facilities', 'takeaway food', and 'recycling bins'. There are some awkward collocations and lexical inaccuracies, most notably the typographical error 'hotel meals' instead of 'hot meals' in the overview, and 'a outdoor seating' which also touches on grammar. Less common items are attempted with some awareness of style, but occasional word-choice errors prevent a higher score. The lexical range is sufficient for precision on familiar topics, earning a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing passive structures effectively (e.g., 'has been replaced', 'has been installed'). Grammatical control is generally good, but there are a few noticeable errors, such as missing articles ('a outdoor seating') and prepositions, along with minor inaccuracies in directional placement. The errors do not impede communication, and the sentence structures are sufficiently varied to meet the criteria for Band 6.0.

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

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