Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 diagram illustrates the renovation of a college café from the past to the present. Overall, there is a significant change and development. The diagram displays the modification of the college café and the new additions made to the cafeteria. The visuals describe the differences before and after the redesign. Firstly, when you enter the café where seating is located, tables and chairs are situated there. On the east side, toilets are located, and a bin is situated in front of the toilets. To the north of the door, the staff dining room is located. On the west, a door is located which provides access to the kitchen situated on the northern side of the door, and the serving area for food and beverages is located on the western side of the door. After the redesign, there are several entry and exit points located in the cafeteria. As you enter the café from the eastern side, the bins and toilets remain in their previous places. The staff dining room has been redesigned into a coffee bar and takeaway food area just adjacent to the coffee shop. The kitchen and serving area remain the same. In front of the kitchen door, a salad bar is located, and adjacent to the toilet is a door that leads to the outdoor seating. In the north, a barbecue stall is located, while the indoor seating area remains in the same place

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses the main features of both plans, noting the transformation of the college cafe from the past to the present. The response correctly identifies key structural changes, such as the addition of the salad bar, the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a coffee bar and takeaway area, and the introduction of outdoor seating with a barbecue area. However, the overview is rather basic and repetitive, stating simply that there is a significant change. Additionally, some spatial descriptions are overly verbose and slightly difficult to follow, such as when describing the kitchen and serving area doors. Despite these minor limitations, all major aspects of the visual data are covered adequately, earning a solid band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an overall coherent arrangement, moving sequentially from an overview to a description of the past layout, and finally detailing the current layout after the redesign. However, paragraphing is weak; the entire response is presented as a single dense block of text rather than being divided into logical paragraphs for the introduction, past layout, and present layout. Cohesive devices are somewhat mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on transitional phrases like 'Firstly', 'After the redesign', and 'As you enter'. Referencing is mostly clear, but the lack of paragraph breaks limits the logical flow and organisational score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying specific features such as 'serving area', 'salad bar', 'coffee bar', and 'outdoor seating'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a noticeable repetition of basic verbs and phrases, particularly 'is located', which appears excessively throughout the text (e.g., 'tables and chairs are situated there', 'toilets are located', 'a bin is situated'). There are no severe spelling errors, but the lexical choice lacks flexibility and precision, restricting the score to a band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over basic structures. There are examples of complex clauses, such as 'when you enter the café where seating is located' and 'a door that leads to the outdoor seating'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. The most prominent issue is the overuse of passive constructions combined with redundant placement verbs ('is located', 'is situated'), leading to clunky phrasing. While punctuation is generally acceptable, errors and awkward phrasing occur frequently enough to occasionally impede smooth reading, keeping the grammar score at a band 5.5.

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