Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 diagram compares the college cafe before renovation and the changes done in the process of redesigning.

There are many positive developments in the cafe. The cafe was lacking major facilities before. There were limited seating areas in the old one, which have been greatly improved. There are enough tables and chairs outside as well as inside the cafe. The cafe is properly designed now.

The area was not properly managed before, as there was only a single serving area, but in the new model, there are different stations for each meal. Hot meals, salad bars, take-away, etc. are kept separate.

The cafe was lacking some facilities like a barbecue spot and a coffee bar, which were then added in the new model.

The staff dining rooms are replaced by a takeaway and coffee bar. The kitchen is redesigned. However, certain things like the bin, toilets, and kitchen area are kept in their original spot.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the replacement of the staff dining rooms with takeaway and coffee facilities, the addition of a salad bar and barbecue, and the retention of the toilets and central seating. These details are relevant and show a general understanding of the plans. However, some claims are not clearly supported: the old plan already had tables and chairs, so saying seating was “greatly improved” needs a specific comparison, and the new outdoor seating is not described. The kitchen is said to be “redesigned,” although the plan shows it remaining in the same location; the hot-meals counter is the clearer change. A concise overview of the main spatial changes, followed by more precise comparisons, would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a generally understandable sequence: it begins with an overall comment, then discusses seating and food facilities, and ends with features that remained in place. Paragraphing helps separate these points. However, the progression is not consistently organised around the plans, and several ideas are repeated or loosely connected. For example, the claims that the café was “lacking major facilities” and “not properly managed” are followed by broad evaluations rather than a clear description of where facilities were added or changed. The final sentence groups the bin, toilets and kitchen together without distinguishing what changed from what stayed the same. Organising the report into an overview and focused comparisons of the interior and exterior would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “take-away,” “barbecue spot” and “original spot,” so the main ideas are usually clear. There is also some variety in how changes are described, such as “replaced” and “added.” However, several expressions are vague or evaluative rather than precise, including “positive developments,” “properly designed” and “different stations for each meal.” “The changes done in the process of redesigning” is also an awkward phrase, and “salad bars” does not match the plan’s singular label. Use more exact terms such as “food counters,” “outdoor seating area” and “recycling bins,” and favour neutral language that reports visible changes rather than judging them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more complex forms, including a relative clause in “seating areas in the old one, which have been greatly improved” and a contrast introduced by “However.” Most sentences are understandable, and grammatical errors rarely prevent the reader from following your meaning. Some sentence patterns are less controlled, though. In “The diagram compares the college cafe before renovation and the changes done in the process of redesigning,” the comparison is not expressed in a parallel, natural structure. The phrase “which have been greatly improved” also has an unclear reference, while “Hot meals, salad bars, take-away, etc. are kept separate” is imprecise in its construction. Practise clear comparison structures and ensure pronouns refer unambiguously to specific features.

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

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