Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 plans illustrate the original layout of a college cafe with its structure after being redesigned.

Overall, the plan has undergone major change, notably the central area where they changed the function of the two small rooms and added a bar. Furthermore, they've created an outdoor place with some doors to link the outside with the inside part. Little transformation in the serving area happened.

Looking at the indoor serving area, which was made for all food and drink, transformed into a place for hot meals. Furthermore, they changed the principal function of staff dining rooms and made a coffee bar and takeaway food; instead, a salad bar has been added on the west side of the main hall, and the small bin became bigger on the right side.

They created a big outdoor seating area and set some chairs and tables for families and friends, alongside a barbecue so they can enjoy eating there. Two doors had been added to link the main hall with outside seating.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the college cafe before and after the redesign. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting major structural changes such as the addition of the outdoor seating area and modifications to the central layout. Key comparisons are made, noting how the staff dining rooms were converted into a takeaway food area and coffee bar, and how the serving area transformed into a hot meals counter. While some minor details, such as the exact relocation of the bin to recycling bins, are included, the selection of features is appropriate for an academic task 1 response. The response meets the minimum word count requirement and presents a clear, accurate summary of the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into four logical paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, a description of indoor changes, and a description of outdoor changes. Ideas are logically sequenced, guiding the reader clearly through the transformations from the interior to the exterior. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'instead', and 'alongside' are used to connect ideas, though occasional mechanical transitions occur, such as the somewhat abrupt start of the final paragraph 'They created a big outdoor seating area'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, contributing to a clear and coherent overall arrangement that allows the reader to follow the progression of information without difficulty.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing changes, utilizing terms such as 'redesigned', 'transformation', 'relocation', and 'converted' appropriately. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some phrasing feels slightly informal or unnatural, such as 'an outdoor place with some doors to link the outside with the inside part' and 'for families and friends', which is an unsupported assumption given the visual data shows a college cafe. Word choice and spelling are generally accurate, and vocabulary does not impede communication, though greater precision and a wider range of academic collocations would be needed for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses ('which was made for all food and drink') and prepositional phrases. Grammatical control is reasonably good, but there are some noticeable errors and awkward structures, such as 'the plan has undergone major change' (where 'plans' plural would be more accurate) and 'transformed into a place for hot meals' lacking a clear subject. Punctuation is generally correct, and sentences do not impede overall comprehension, but frequent minor inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band in this criterion.

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