Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 plans display the changes made to a college cafe, how it was before redesigning and how it looks after the development work.

Overall, the main changes include an addition of the salad bar and barbecue section with outdoor sitting. The staff dining rooms are replaced by take away food and coffee bar area.

In the old design, the kitchen is situated at the top left corner of the map, with serving area including all food and drink in the south of it. The main hall room had tables and chairs, with staff dining rooms in the top centre, while the toilets were located at the bottom right and the bin was also placed just above the toilets.

However, after the renovation, the current map looks a lot organised. Kitchen is still located at the same location as before, but the serving area is replaced by hot meals section. On the left side of the main hall, there is an addition of salad bar. While the tables and chairs are still in the same place, the staff dining rooms are replaced by two distinct sections, namely take away food and coffee bar. Toilets are also in the same corner, however the bins and replaced by recycling bins. Lastly, in the bottom area, a new barbecue section has been added with complete new layout of outdoor seating.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You give a clear overview of the main redesign, identifying the new salad bar and outdoor facilities and the replacement of the staff dining rooms. The description also accurately notes that the kitchen and toilets remain in place, the serving counter now offers hot meals, and the bin has become recycling bins. These details address the key comparisons and are supported by relevant locations. To make the account more complete and precise, mention that the new outdoor seating is reached through two doors in the south wall and includes four tables, and clarify that the barbecue is outside to the south-west. The phrase “bottom area” is less exact than the plan’s layout, but the main features are reported clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the former and current layouts. This gives the reader a clear progression, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However,” and “Lastly” help signal the stages of comparison. The contrast between what stayed the same and what changed is generally easy to follow. Some connections are less smooth: “While the tables and chairs are still in the same place” is left as a fragment before the next point, and “however” is used repeatedly to join contrasts. Aim to integrate these ideas into complete sentences and vary the linking structures so cohesion feels more flexible and less formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing a plan, including “situated,” “replaced,” “distinct sections,” and “renovation.” These choices help communicate the main changes, and the reader can understand the layout throughout. However, some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for this task: “outdoor sitting” and “complete new layout” are not the most idiomatic descriptions, while “a lot organised” is an awkward collocation. “Main hall room” is also unnecessarily repetitive. More precise terms for spatial relationships and facilities would improve flexibility and control. For example, describe the outdoor area as seating, and use concise phrases such as “the central seating area” or “a newly arranged outdoor dining area.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including clauses with “while” and “however,” and most of the layout remains understandable. There are nevertheless some errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms. “While the tables and chairs are still in the same place” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence; connect it to the following clause. In “the bins and replaced by recycling bins,” the verb is missing, and “Kitchen is still located” needs an article before “Kitchen.” The opening phrase “how it was before redesigning” also has an awkward grammatical construction. Check sentence completeness, articles, and verb forms during editing, while retaining the range of structures you are attempting.

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