Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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 layout illustrates a college cafeteria before and after renovation.

Overall, the cafeteria area has become larger after renovation as the outer space is also included in the new design. The new layout also has different types of food serving areas in contrast to the previous design with only one serving area.

Previously, the cafe used to have separate dining rooms for the staff, which has been replaced by the take away food counter and coffee serving bar in the new layout. Furthermore, the old serving area that used to serve all kinds of foods and drinks now only serves hot meals. More recycle bins have been added to the cafeteria. The kitchen, toilets and the space filled with tables and chairs remain the same to the previous layout.

In the new layout, two new foo serving zones has been added, a salad bar in the western side of the cafe, and a barbecue area with seating arrangements outside the cafeteria in the southern side. Two doors have also been added between the cafe and barbecue zone.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response gives a clear overview of the main changes, especially the expansion into outdoor space and the shift from one general serving area to several specialised food and drink facilities. It also accurately identifies the former staff dining rooms becoming takeaway and coffee areas, the hot-meals counter, and the unchanged kitchen and toilets. These details address the task well and are supported by relevant comparisons. Some descriptions are imprecise: the outdoor area is described as a “barbecue area with seating arrangements,” although the plan shows outdoor seating and a separate barbecue area, and “two new foo serving zones” does not clearly identify the salad bar and barbecue as distinct additions. More precise reporting of the outdoor features and the recycling-bin change would make the account more complete and exact.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a clear introduction, overview and two detail paragraphs, with a sensible progression from the overall transformation to specific changes. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore” and “In the new layout” help guide the reader, and the comparisons are generally easy to follow. However, some connections between ideas could be more precise. For example, the final paragraph groups the salad bar with the barbecue and outdoor seating, although these are separate features in different locations. The sentence about the kitchen, toilets and seating area also compresses several unchanged features into one statement. Clearer grouping by interior changes and outdoor additions, together with more exact referencing, would make the progression smoother and more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing the redesign, including “renovation,” “separate dining rooms,” “serving area” and “layout.” The writer also attempts more specific terms such as “take away food counter” and “recycle bins,” and the meaning is generally clear. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise or awkward: “cafeteria area has become larger” could be expressed more naturally as “the café has been extended,” while “coffee serving bar” is less idiomatic than “coffee bar.” “More recycle bins” is also inaccurate in form and quantity, since the plan labels recycling bins but does not establish that there are more. The typo “foo” and repeated use of “new layout” limit the precision and polish expected at a higher level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex structures, including the overview sentence with “as” and the relative clause “the old serving area that used to serve…”. Most sentences communicate the intended comparisons, and the paragraphing supports readability. Some grammatical errors remain. In “the space filled with tables and chairs remain,” the compound subject requires “remains” only if treated as one space, but the sentence’s list calls for “remain”; more clearly, write “the kitchen, toilets and seating area remain unchanged.” The phrase “two new foo serving zones has been added” contains both a spelling issue and subject–verb disagreement; grammatically, “two new food-serving areas have been added” is needed. “The same to the previous layout” also requires “as.” Greater control of agreement and comparison patterns would improve accuracy.

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