Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 development of a college cafe how it used to look like and nowadays how it looks like.

Overall, the college cafe underwent considerable development during the period. Several new facilities were added while some existing areas were removed or replaced.

The most noticeable change was on the northern side. Previously cafe had a serving area ( for all food and drinks) which is replaced by hot meals section nowadays. On the western an area for salad were opened. College cafe had a staff dining rooms before redesign however, nowadays it is been replaced by a take away food and a coffee bar section. Kitchen had no changes. Along with that tables , chairs, and toilets had no changes during the period. On the eastern side college cafe had a bin area for all type of garbage nowadays it is been replaced by recycling bins. A barbecue section were added to the college cafe. Along with that an outdoor seating area were added too for the customers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by outlining the main features of the college cafe before and after its redesign, while making appropriate comparisons where relevant. The overview clearly highlights that the facility underwent considerable changes, with new features added and old areas replaced. Key transformations, such as the conversion of the staff dining rooms into a take-away food section and a coffee bar, along with the addition of the outdoor seating and barbecue area, are accurately reported. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven; some details, such as the kitchen remaining unchanged, are stated without full extension, which reflects the characteristics of a solid performance that successfully addresses the core prompt while leaving room for a more fully developed, comprehensive overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from an introductory statement to an overview, followed by specific details of the layout changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the general summary, and the body description. Cohesive devices are generally present, though referencing and transitions between sentences can occasionally feel somewhat mechanical or repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'nowadays' and 'along with that'. Pronoun referencing and substitution could be managed more flexibly to ensure smoother transitions between ideas. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to employ a wider and more sophisticated variety of cohesive devices while ensuring that the flow between sentences feels entirely natural rather than formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

An adequate range of vocabulary is used for the task, allowing the student to successfully describe various architectural changes and room functions. Words such as 'redesign', 'considerable development', 'recycling bins', and 'barbecue' demonstrate that the writer possesses enough vocabulary to communicate the main points effectively. There are, however, some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'Previously cafe had' missing an article and awkward collocations like 'an area for salad were opened'. Spelling is generally accurate, but minor word-choice slips occur throughout the text. To achieve a higher score, the student should incorporate a wider selection of less common lexical items and refine their precision when describing spatial relationships and modifications.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a mix of simple and some attempt at complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and article usage, such as 'the college cafe how it used to look like', 'a staff dining rooms', and 'a barbecue section were added'. Prepositions and passive structures also show occasional errors. While these grammatical and punctuation mistakes rarely completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of grammatical control. To improve, the student must work on mastering subject-verb agreement, accurate use of singular and plural nouns with articles, and ensuring that passive constructions are grammatically sound.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.