Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-17

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 7.5)

The given maps compare the redesigned layout of a college cafeteria with the pre-designed layout.

Overall, the cafe has been refurnished and modernized by expanding the seating area, while keeping the locations of the kitchen area and toilets intact. Moreover, a variety of food has been introduced at certain designated spaces, along with the takeaway facility.

The cafeteria had a huge area designated to the kitchen at the north-west side, which has been retained in the new design. Moreover, toilets and waste area have largely remained unchanged, except for one improvement: regular bins being replaced by recycling bins near the entrance.

Meanwhile, the staff dining rooms have been removed and replaced by a takeaway food corner and a coffee bar. Additionally, two food stalls, a salad bar inside the cafeteria and a barbeque corner outside by adding a south-west exit, have been constructed. This significant expansion has also provided an outside seating facility to the users.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response effectively covers the requirements of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two plans. You have successfully highlighted the key changes, such as the removal of staff dining rooms and the addition of new food stalls and seating areas. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the transformation. To reach a higher band, ensure that all spatial references are precise; for instance, while you mention the north-west kitchen, you could further clarify the relative positioning of the new additions to provide a more comprehensive picture of the layout changes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use paragraphing effectively to separate the overview from the specific details of the kitchen and the new additions. Cohesive devices such as 'Meanwhile', 'Moreover', and 'Additionally' are used appropriately to link sentences and ideas. The flow is smooth, and the information is easy to follow. To improve further, ensure that the transition between the description of the kitchen and the new facilities is even more seamless, perhaps by using a more sophisticated linking phrase to contrast the static areas with the dynamic changes.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a task of this nature, using terms like 'refurnished', 'modernized', 'designated', and 'retained'. The vocabulary is precise and contributes to a professional tone. There are no significant errors in word choice or collocation. To achieve a higher score, you could incorporate more sophisticated or varied vocabulary to describe the changes, such as 'transformed', 'converted', or 'reconfigured', rather than relying on 'removed' or 'replaced' multiple times. Overall, the lexical range is sufficient and used with good control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response displays a good variety of complex structures, such as the use of participial phrases ('by expanding the seating area', 'by adding a south-west exit') and relative clauses. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is accurate. The grammar is controlled, and there are no instances where errors impede communication. To move towards a higher band, you could experiment with a wider variety of sentence structures, such as passive voice constructions to describe the changes in the layout, which would be highly appropriate for this type of academic report.

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

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