Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)
The plans illustrate the changes that were made to a college café before and after its redesign.
Overall, the café has undergone several significant changes, including the introduction of a coffee bar, a takeaway food area, a salad bar and outdoor seating. The staff dining rooms have also been removed, while the kitchen and toilets have remained in their original locations.
Before the redesign, the upper part of the café consisted of a kitchen and a serving area for all food and drinks. The main dining area occupied most of the remaining space, with two staff dining rooms located in the centre. Toilets were situated in the bottom-right corner, while a bin was placed along the right-hand wall.
Following the redesign, the serving area was replaced by a hot-meals section within the kitchen. Two new facilities, namely a takeaway food counter and a coffee bar, were added to the central area. The former staff dining rooms were removed to create more space for tables and chairs. In addition, a salad bar was installed on the left side, and recycling bins replaced the single bin. Finally, a barbecue and several outdoor tables were added outside the café.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
The student covers all key features of the two maps well. A clear overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the major transformations such as the addition of the coffee bar, takeaway area, salad bar, and outdoor seating, alongside the removal of the staff dining rooms. The body paragraphs accurately contrast the previous layout with the current one, mentioning specific details such as the hot-meals section, recycling bins, and the barbecue area. The information is fully grounded in the visual data with no significant inaccuracies or omissions, satisfying the requirements for a high band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5
The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph containing an effective overview, followed by well-structured body paragraphs that describe the 'before' and 'after' states sequentially. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different areas of the campus café. Cohesive devices such as 'Before the redesign', 'Following the redesign', 'In addition', and 'Finally' are utilized naturally to guide the reader through the spatial changes without being mechanical or intrusive.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
The student demonstrates a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a map transformation. Terms such as 'undergone several significant changes', 'introduction of', 'relocated', and 'installed' are used accurately. There is successful use of less common lexical items and collocation related to spatial descriptions (e.g., 'upper part', 'bottom-right corner', 'left side'). Word choices are precise, and spelling is entirely accurate throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The writing exhibits a good variety of complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'including the introduction of...', 'consisted of a kitchen and a serving area...'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and the control of grammar and punctuation is strong. Verb tenses are handled correctly, shifting appropriately between the past tense for the previous layout ('consisted', 'were situated') and the present/present perfect for current features ('have remained', 'is installed', 'are added').
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