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 designs illustrate the renovation of a college cafe and how it looked before.

Overall, the cafe has been modified significantly. The area has been increased, new options introduced inside the cafe and an increase in seat capacity.

There is a change in staff dining rooms. Before the redesign there were two seperate rooms for staff dining, whereas now the two room are present but one room is converted for take away food and the other room to a Coffee bar. The bins are increased and changed to recycling bins. However the toilet is same as and no changes to it.

A new a outdoor seating area has been included which has increased capacity. Two new doors added for access to the seating area as well. There is also a new Barbecue spot outside that wasn't there before. A new salad bar has also been introduced inside accross the kitchen door. The kitchen room has also been transformed before it included the serving for all food and drinks but now only hot meals are served.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response satisfies the word count requirement and successfully covers all key features of the two diagrams. It presents an overview that highlights major changes, such as the spatial expansion, increased seating capacity, and introduction of new food options. The student selects and reports most of the relevant features, such as the transformation of staff rooms into a take-away area and coffee bar, the addition of an outdoor seating area with a barbecue, and the inclusion of a salad bar. However, some parts of the response are slightly under-developed or imprecise regarding spatial relationships, which prevents it from reaching a higher band. Specifically, the mention that 'the area has been increased' is not entirely supported by the visual data, as the overall building footprint remains the same while the layout and outdoor usage are modified. Nonetheless, the core requirements of task completion and overview generation are adequately met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introductory overview to body paragraphs detailing specific structural changes. Paragraphing is utilised to group related ideas, separating indoor modifications from outdoor changes. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or somewhat faulty due to repetitive sentence openings and basic transitional markers such as 'Before the redesign', 'whereas now', and 'There is also'. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother with more varied cohesive devices. To achieve a higher band, the student should employ a wider range of cohesive links and ensure that paragraph transitions feel more natural and integrated.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an acceptable range of terms related to spatial changes and features, such as 'renovation', 'modified significantly', 'converted', and 'transformed'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but this is occasionally accompanied by word choice errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'the two room are present', 'seat capacity' instead of seating capacity, and 'accross the kitchen door'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication. To move to a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate greater precision in word choice and collocation, avoiding awkward prepositional phrases and ensuring correct word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as introductory clauses ('Before the redesign there were...') and relative clauses ('...that wasn't there before'). However, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the two room are present'), missing articles ('A new a outdoor seating area'), and minor preposition or punctuation slips. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to typify this level. To achieve a higher band, the student must produce a higher proportion of error-free sentences, particularly when attempting complex structures, and pay closer attention to articles and pluralization.

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

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