Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 first map describes the layout of a cafe before development, while the 2nd map illustrates the design of the cafe after renovation.

Overall, the cafe has changed dramatically, with the addition of an extensive outdoor sitting area along with a barbecue section. In addition, a salad bar is also incorporated in the cafe, and the bin is replaced with an expanded recycling bin compartment.

To begin with, the cafe has enhanced the facilities for the visitors. Firstly, starting from the outdoor area which was empty previously, but now it has an extended dining area with the introduction of a barbecue zone. Moving up the barbecue section, a salad bar is incorporated inside the cafe. Moreover, the bin area of the cafe is transformed into a vast recycling bin zone. In addition, the staff dining rooms to the North are converted into coffee bar and take away food zones.

On the other hand, the serving area is now reserved only for hot meals instead of all foods and drinks. However, the central area and the kitchen remains the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response gives a clear overview of the main changes, especially the new outdoor seating and barbecue, the salad bar, and the conversion of the staff dining rooms. It also accurately notes that the kitchen and central seating area remain, and that the serving counter is now for hot meals. This selection of key features is relevant and generally precise. Some details are less fully reported: the two new southern doors and the four outdoor tables are omitted, and the toilets’ unchanged position is not mentioned. The claim that the recycling-bin area is “expanded” is not supported by the plan, which shows a replacement rather than a larger compartment. More exact coverage of these details would make the account more complete and consistently precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs, and the reader can follow the broad progression from outdoor changes to interior changes. Linking expressions such as “In addition” and “On the other hand” help connect points. However, some sequencing is awkward: “Firstly, starting from the outdoor area” is followed by a sentence beginning “but now,” creating an incomplete contrast structure, while “Moving up the barbecue section” is an imprecise transition for describing the plan. “On the other hand” also suggests a contrast that is not clearly established. Grouping the interior changes together and using clearer location-based transitions would make cohesion more flexible and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing the redesign, including “incorporated,” “converted,” “renovation,” and “barbecue zone.” The writer also uses relevant terms for the plan, such as “central area” and “staff dining rooms.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however: “outdoor sitting area” is less suitable than “outdoor seating area,” “vast recycling bin zone” overstates what the plan shows, and “zones” is an awkward label for the coffee bar and takeaway counter. “The 2nd map” is also less appropriate in formal report writing than “the second plan.” Aim for precise, conventional collocations and avoid adding evaluative descriptions such as “extensive” or “vast” when the visual does not establish scale.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and the contrast between the former serving area and its new hot-meal function. Meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions persist. In “Firstly, starting from the outdoor area which was empty previously, but now it has…,” the relative clause and “but” are combined in a faulty sentence structure; this could be recast as two clauses joined with “whereas.” In “the central area and the kitchen remains the same,” the plural subject requires “remain.” The phrase “the bin area … is transformed” also shifts tense from the past redesign to the present without a clear reason. More consistent tense control and cleaner clause construction would improve accuracy.

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