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 two plans illustrate the changes made to a college cafe,comparing its layout before and after the redesign.

overall the cafe has been considerbly modernised,with several new facilities added and the space previously occupied by staff dining rooms converted into areas for customers.The most noticable changes are the introduction takeway and coffee facilities, an outdoor sitting area and new food options.

Before the redesign,the kitchen was located in upper left corner and contained a serving area for all food and drinks.Two staff dining rooms were situated beside the kitchen,while most of the remaining space was occupied by tables and chair.A bin was positioned along the right-handwall,and the toilets are located in the bottom right corner.

Today the kitchen remains are same,but the former serving area has been replaced by a hot meals sections.the two staff dining rooms have been removed and replaced by hot-meals sections.The two staff dining rooms have beenremoved and replaced with a takeway-food area and a coffee bar.A salad bar has also been installed along the left wall.In additions,the cafe has now outdoor sitting area with several chairs and tables,as well as a barbecue in the bottom-left corner.Finally the original bins has been replaced by recycling bins,while the toilets remain in the same general locations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview and detailing the main changes between the two floor plans. The candidate highlights key transformations, such as the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, the addition of a salad bar, and the introduction of an outdoor seating area. However, some areas show slight repetition or minor inaccuracies in positioning details, such as mentioning the barbecue location twice or conflating the hot meals section. These minor lapses place the response in the mid-range for this criterion, as all essential features are covered yet some details lack complete clarity and extension.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introduction to the description of the past layout, followed by the current layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two time periods. Cohesive devices are employed, though referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical or slightly repetitive, such as the frequent use of structural openings for sentences. While the general flow is clear, these minor mechanical transitions prevent the response from achieving a higher band, reflecting a standard level of organizational control.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a descriptive academic task, attempting less common items such as 'modernised', 'redesign', and 'recycling bins'. However, there are several word choice, spelling, and morphological errors throughout the text, including 'considerbly', 'noticable', 'takeway', and 'sitting' instead of 'seating'. These errors do not impede communication, as the reader can easily follow the description, but the frequency of spelling and lexical slips prevents the vocabulary score from reaching higher levels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting comparative structures and relative clauses. There are, however, frequent mechanical and grammatical errors in punctuation, spacing, and articles, such as missing spaces after commas, 'remains are same', 'hot meals sections' (plural agreement), 'In additions', and 'the original bins has'. While these errors rarely impede communication entirely, they indicate a persistent lack of control over basic agreement and punctuation rules, keeping the grammar score at the current level.

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