Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 7.0)

The diagrams illustrate the layout of a college café before and after its redevelopment.

Overall, the café has undergone several significant changes, including the addition of a salad bar, a coffee bar, a takeaway-food section, more recycling bins and an outdoor seating area. Although the main shape of the café has remained unchanged, several areas have been rearranged and two new doors have been added.

Before the redevelopment, the café had a rectangular layout with a small additional section at one end, which contained the kitchen and serving area. The staff dining rooms were located in the middle of the café, directly opposite the entrance, while the toilets were situated in the left-hand corner. Bins were placed along the wall near the entrance. The remaining space was occupied by tables and chairs for customers.

Following the redevelopment, the serving area was converted into a hot-meal section, while the kitchen remained unchanged. The staff dining rooms were replaced by a takeaway-food area and a coffee bar. In addition, a salad bar was introduced near the kitchen. A new door was added beside this area, providing access to the barbecue area and outdoor seating. Another door was installed near the toilets. The rest of the café remained largely unchanged, although several additional recycling bins were added.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and highlighting the main transformations between the two plans. Key features such as the addition of the salad bar, coffee bar, takeaway section, outdoor seating, and barbecue area are accurately reported. However, there are a couple of minor positional inaccuracies compared to the prompt data: the student states that the toilets were situated in the 'left-hand corner' before redevelopment (whereas the visual data places them in the bottom-right corner) and implies the kitchen extended to an 'additional section at one end', missing the exact top-left placement. Despite these minor misreadings, the overall response successfully summarizes the core visual information and satisfies all requirements of Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organised and progresses clearly from an introductory statement to an overall summary, followed by a description of the past layout and a detailed account of the current layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate each stage of the description. Cohesive devices such as 'Before the redevelopment', 'Following the redevelopment', and 'In addition' are employed effectively to guide the reader through the comparison, ensuring a clear and coherent overall arrangement without mechanical over-use.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and precise range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response, utilizing terms such as 'redevelopment', 'layout', 'rearranged', and 'converted'. Less common vocabulary items are attempted with good awareness of style and collocation, such as 'provision of access' or 'largely unchanged'. Word choices are generally natural and precise, effectively communicating the changes shown in the diagrams without repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response exhibits a wide range of sentence structures, mixing simple and complex forms seamlessly. Clauses are well-controlled, using subordinating conjunctions and participle phrases effectively (e.g., 'providing access to the barbecue area and outdoor seating'). The majority of sentences are completely error-free, and any punctuation or grammatical lapses are virtually non-existent, demonstrating a high level of grammatical control and accuracy throughout the text.

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

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