Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

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 how a cafe based at a college changed design previously to look how it does today.

Overall, the cafe has expanded in size adding a new section whilst removing another section and also now has more amenities including a wider selection of food and drinks.

The cafe previously had a room for staff to utilise which was seperate from the students seating area. In this same block, toilets were available as well as a single bin area. Tables and chairs took up most of the space. Within the cafe, the kitchen area had an area where they served food and drink.

Notably, the staff rooms transformed into a take away food and coffee bar section, providing the students with more choice. The previous serving area of the kitchen became a hot meals section. Additionally, a barbecue and outdoor dining area were added to the building providing more seating options. Moreover, a salad bar provided further increased food choices and recyling bins were added, replacing the previous single bin area. Despite these changes, the kitchen and toilets remained in the same section of the cafe as did the tables and chairs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the college cafe before and after its redesign. An effective overview is provided, highlighting the expansion of the cafe, the addition of new sections, and the increase in amenities. Key features are accurately reported and contrasted, such as the transformation of the staff dining rooms into a takeaway food and coffee bar section, the addition of a salad bar, outdoor seating, and a barbecue area. The kitchen, toilets, and main seating area are correctly noted as remaining unchanged. The information is fully supported by the visual data without introducing irrelevant details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organised and easy to follow. Ideas are structured with a clear introductory paragraph, a general overview, and supporting body paragraphs that detail specific spatial changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate general trends from detailed comparisons. Cohesive devices such as 'Notably', 'Additionally', 'Moreover', and 'Despite these changes' are used effectively to guide the reader through the spatial transformations, resulting in a cohesive and well-structured report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and generally precise range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task describing spatial changes. Appropriate terminology is used, including phrases like 'expanded in size', 'amenities', 'transformed into', and 'outdoor dining area'. There is a minor spelling slip ('seperate' instead of separate, and 'recyling' instead of recycling), but these do not impede communication. Less common lexical items are attempted with adequate awareness of style and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The plans illustrate how a cafe based at a college changed design previously to look how it does today' and 'Despite these changes, the kitchen and toilets remained in the same section of the cafe as did the tables and chairs.' Grammatical control is generally strong with many error-free sentences, though punctuation could be slightly refined in places (such as missing commas after introductory transition words). Errors are infrequent and do not impede understanding.

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