Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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 GIVEN MAP GRAPH ILLUSTRATES A COLLEGE CAFE BEFORE IT WAS RENOVATED AND AFTER IT WAS FINISHED.

OVERALL, ALTHOUGH THE AREA HASN'T CHANGED MUCH BUT IT'S STILL RECOGNIZABLE TO FIND THE DIFFERENCE. THE BARBECUE AREA AND OUTDOOR SEATING IS ADDED TO THE NEW MAP OUTSIDE THE CAFE INCLUDING SALARD BAR WHICH IS INSIDE THE CAFE.

STARTING WITH, THE KITCHEN ROOM ONLY THE SERVING AREA WAS REPLACED WITH HOT MEALS WITHOUT CHANGING ANYTHING ELSE FROM THAT ROOM. THE STAFF DINING ROOMS WERE REMOVED BY TAKE AWAY FOOD AND COFFEE BAR. THE BIN BECAME MORE USEFUL BY ADDING RECYCLING BIN, BISIDE THAT TOILETS IS STILL AT THE SAME POSITION AND SO AS THE TABLES AND CHAIRS.

SECONDLY, THE FEW SPOTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE MAP THE FIRST ONE IS SALAD BAR WHICH IS LOCATED INSIDE THE CAFE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE MAP. MOREOVER, THE BARBECUE AREA WAS INCLUDED OUTSIDE THE CAFE ALONG WITH OUTDOOR SEATING.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation clearly: the café gains outdoor seating and a barbecue, while the former staff dining rooms become takeaway and coffee areas. You also correctly note that the kitchen, central tables and chairs, and toilets remain, and that the serving counter changes to hot meals. This covers the key before-and-after features and supports a clear overview. To make the account more complete, include other notable changes, especially the new southern doors connecting the café to the outdoor area and the recycling bins replacing the single bin. Some details are underdeveloped: for example, the outdoor seating is not described as having four tables, and the new coffee and takeaway sections are not located along the north wall. These omissions keep the description from being fully detailed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by two detail paragraphs, and the reader can generally follow the changes from the old plan to the new one. Grouping the kitchen and former staff rooms together is useful. However, progression is sometimes mechanical: “Starting with” and “Secondly” do not clearly signal the relationship between the details, and the final paragraph repeats the salad bar and outdoor additions already mentioned in the overview. Some references are also unclear, such as “the first one” and “beside that.” Organise the details by location or by unchanged and changed features, and use more precise links between sentences. This would make the overall arrangement more coherent and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “serving area,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bin,” and “outdoor seating.” These terms help communicate the main changes. However, the range and control are uneven: “map graph” is not a natural description of a floor plan, “spots” is vague, and “the bin became more useful” gives an opinion rather than naming the change shown. There are also spelling errors, including “salard” and “biside,” and some awkward combinations such as “included in the map.” Choose precise plan vocabulary and check spelling carefully. For example, describe facilities as being “added” or “introduced,” and use “located” or “positioned” to report where they are.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast in the overview and clauses describing what changed. However, errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to interpret. The opening overview has a faulty “although … but” construction, while “Starting with, the kitchen room only the serving area was replaced” lacks a clear grammatical structure. There are also agreement and article problems in “the barbecue area and outdoor seating is added” and “toilets is still.” Use a straightforward pattern such as “The serving area was replaced by a hot-meals counter,” and check that subjects and verbs agree. More accurate sentence construction would make your comparisons clearer.

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