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At present, the serving area has been replaced by hot meals, while staff dining rooms have been replaced by takeaway food and a coffee bar. The bins have been replaced by recycling bins and a salad bar has been installed.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

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and highlighting the main transformations in the college cafe. The introduction effectively paraphrases the prompt, and the body paragraphs contrast the past layout with the present layout successfully. However, there are a few minor locational inaccuracies in the body paragraphs; for example, the kitchen was originally in the northwest rather than the northeast, and the toilets were in the southeast corner rather than the southwest. Despite these slight directional errors, the response satisfies the core requirements of Academic Task 1 by reporting key features and making relevant comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised, moving from an introductory statement and general overview to detailed descriptions of the past and present layouts. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, past features, and present features. Cohesive devices such as 'In the past', 'At present', and 'while' are used effectively to guide the reader through the comparisons. Referencing is generally clear, though paragraphing could be slightly more balanced to enhance the overall progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map comparison, using terms like 'relocated', 'replaced', 'layout', and 'facilities'. There is an interesting lexical slip in the overview where 'hot meals' is mistranscribed or misremembered as 'hotel meals'. Other vocabulary choices are appropriate and generally clear, though there is a reliance on basic and repetitive structures ('the cafe had', 'the cafe was', 'were installed') which prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including passive voice constructions such as 'has been replaced' and 'has been installed', which are essential for Task 1 writing. While there are some long, slightly repetitive compound-complex sentences linked by coordinating conjunctions ('while', 'and'), the grammatical control is generally sound. Errors are infrequent and do not impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the descriptions with ease.

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

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