Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 maps illustrate the college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Overall, the cafe has undergone considerable redevelopment, several new sections have been introduced. The most noticeable changes are the replacement of the serving area with hot meals. The tables and chairs, toilets and bin however, have remained in the same positions.

Before the redesign, the kitchen was top of the room which was on north side and opposite to the serving area where all the food and drinks. Moreover, in the main hall tables and chairs were in the middle of the hall and south east side toilets were available for the customers and staff. Furthermore, the staff dining rooms were in the centre of the north side of the hall and north east corner doors for entry and exit.

Currently, the serving area converted into hot meals and staff dining rooms has been divided into takeaway food point and coffee bar point. Also the salad bar has been introduced in cafe salad baris in the western part of the hall and the toilets remain in the same positions and beside the toilets the bins have been replaced with recycling bins. Furthermore, a Barbecue area has been introduced in outside of the south side where outdoor seating has been provided for those customers who enjoy their food in an open environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by presenting an overview of the main changes and selecting key features for comparison. The writer highlights that the cafe has undergone considerable redevelopment, noting specific transformations such as the replacement of the serving area with hot meals and the introduction of a new salad bar, outdoor seating, and a barbecue area. However, some parts of the task are handled more fully than others; for instance, the description of the staff dining rooms being converted into a takeaway food point and a coffee bar is mentioned, but certain spatial relationships and features are slightly under-developed or lack full clarity. The overview captures the essence of the transformations well, fulfilling the requirements for a solid mid-tier score while pointing toward clearer feature selection.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information logically, moving from an introductory summary to the layout before the redesign, and finally to the current layout. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, overall trends, and the two contrasting periods. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. For instance, sentences like 'Also the salad bar has been introduced in cafe salad baris in the western part of the hall' demonstrate awkward transitions and repetitive referencing. Additionally, the progression between ideas occasionally feels abrupt, reflecting the characteristics of this level where cohesive devices are not always managed with complete fluency or flexibility.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to maps and facility changes, such as 'redevelopment', 'converted', and 'environment'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation, such as 'cafe salad baris' (a spacing and word-form error) and phrasing like 'serving area converted into hot meals' rather than counters for hot meals. Spelling and word-choice errors do occur, but they rarely impede overall communication, allowing the reader to follow the descriptions of the cafe's layout and alterations without significant difficulty.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to describe static locations and dynamic changes using prepositional phrases and relative clauses, as seen in 'for those customers who enjoy their food in an open environment'. At the same time, there are some noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('in outside of the south side'), awkward prepositions ('was top of the room which was on north side'), and run-on structures. These errors persist throughout the text but rarely impede communication, reflecting a control level where simple sentences are generally sound while attempts at more complex patterns introduce recurring inaccuracies.

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