Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 8.0)

The plans illustrate how a college café has been redesigned, showing its layout before and after the renovation.

Overall, the café has undergone substantial changes, with the removal of the staff dining rooms and the introduction of several new facilities. These include a coffee bar, takeaway counter, salad bar, recycling bin and an outdoor seating area. By contrast, the kitchen and toilets have remained in broadly the same positions.

Before the redevelopment, the kitchen occupied the upper-left corner and contained a serving area for food and drinks. The remainder of the café was largely taken up by tables and chairs, with two staff dining rooms positioned in the centre. On the right-hand side, there was a bin near the entrance, while the toilets were located in the bottom-right corner.

The redesigned café retains the kitchen, although its serving area has been replaced by a section for hot meals. The two staff dining rooms have been removed, creating additional space for customers. A takeaway counter and coffee bar have been installed in the central upper section, while a salad bar now occupies the left-hand wall. The former bin has also been replaced with a recycling facility.

Outside the main café, a barbecue and a considerably larger seating area have been added, providing customers with additional options for dining and socialising.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The student has successfully addressed all parts of the task by providing a clear and comprehensive summary of the changes shown in the two plans. The response accurately identifies the main features and makes relevant comparisons, such as noting that the kitchen and toilets remained in broadly the same positions while the staff dining rooms were replaced. The overview provided in the second paragraph effectively highlights the major transformations, such as the introduction of the coffee bar, takeaway counter, salad bar, and outdoor seating. The details throughout the body paragraphs are fully supported by the visual data without introducing irrelevant information. The response meets all the requirements for a high band in task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0

The response is logically organized with a clear progression from an introductory overview to detailed descriptions of the 'before' and 'after' layouts, concluding with the outdoor additions. Paragraphing is used appropriately and effectively, with each paragraph serving a distinct purpose. Cohesive devices such as 'Before the redevelopment', 'By contrast', and 'The redesigned café retains' are used naturally and accurately to guide the reader through the comparisons. Referencing is clear throughout, ensuring that the information flows smoothly from sentence to sentence without causing any confusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a wide and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task describing plans and maps. Less common lexical items and collocations are used skillfully, such as 'substantial changes', 'redesigned', 'redevelopment', and 'recycling facility'. Word choices and phrasing are natural and precise, as seen in expressions like 'occupied the upper-left corner' and 'considerably larger seating area'. There are no noticeable spelling or word-choice errors, reflecting a high level of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

The writing exhibits a wide range of complex sentence structures used with a high degree of accuracy. The student employs varied dependent clauses, participial phrases ('providing customers with additional options'), and passive constructions ('have been removed', 'has been replaced') effectively. The majority of sentences are completely error-free, and any complex structures attempted are well-controlled. Punctuation is used accurately throughout, contributing to the professional and polished tone of the essay.

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

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