Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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 provided maps illustrate a cafe of a college before its reconstruction and how it looks currently.

Overall,it can be observed that in the past the cafe did'nt had enough seating area but now an outdoor seating have been constructed. Apart from that, staff dining rooms are replaced by take away food and cofee bar.

Before the cafe was redesigned, it had a kitchen in the north and a serving area which contained all foods and drinks. In the middle there was a huge space for tables and chairs. Above this, there were two rooms for dinning of staff. In the eastern side, there was a small in. The cafe also contained toilets below the bin.

If we look at cafe in present time, kitchen is at same place but instead of serving area there is hot meals section below kitchen. Staff dinning rooms are replaced by take away food room and coffe bar. Instead of one bin, there are now numerous recycling bins.Both toilets area and tables and chair area is same.But a new outside seating area have been constructed in the south along side a barbecue section in the south west direction. There is salad bar in the west of tables area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two plans. An overall trend is provided, and key transformations—such as the conversion of staff dining rooms into a take-away food area and coffee bar, the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating, and a barbecue area—are clearly identified. However, the development is slightly uneven; some details, such as the position of the bins and toilets, are described rather mechanically rather than being fully synthesised into the broader narrative of change. To reach a higher level, the response would need a more fully developed overview that highlights the most significant structural shifts at a glance, alongside a more cohesive integration of minor spatial details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression from an introduction to an overview paragraph, followed by a description of the past layout and finally the current layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different temporal stages. However, cohesion relies on some mechanical transitions, such as 'If we look at cafe in present time', and referencing is occasionally clunky. While information is logically sequenced, the logical flow between sentences could be smoother with more varied cohesive devices. To improve further, the writer should ensure that relationships between ideas are signalled with greater flexibility and precision rather than relying on repetitive introductory phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the basic features of the maps such as 'kitchen', 'serving area', 'outdoor seating', and 'barbecue'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but this is accompanied by noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and spelling, such as 'did'nt had', 'cofee bar', 'dinning', and 'along side'. These lexical slips indicate an inconsistent control of word forms and spelling conventions. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to expand their range of functional vocabulary to describe spatial changes more precisely and eliminate basic spelling and word-formation errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over basic structures. There are instances of error-free sentences, particularly when describing static locations, such as 'Before the cafe was redesigned, it had a kitchen in the north'. Nevertheless, several grammatical and punctuation errors are present, including missing articles ('a cafe of a college', 'in west of tables area'), incorrect verb forms ('did'nt had', 'have been constructed'), and punctuation omissions in contractions ('did'nt'). These errors rarely impede overall communication, but they occur with enough frequency to prevent the grammar from reaching a higher descriptor tier. Improving article usage and subject-verb agreement will greatly benefit this score.

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