IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Café Redesign Map (Band 9 Sample)
This Academic Task 1 asks you to compare two floor plans of a café — one before a redesign and one today — and to describe how it has changed. A band-9 response gives an overview of the overall transformation, then reports the specific changes using the passive and language of location and change. Below is a model answer of roughly 190 words, followed by why it scores 9 on all four criteria.
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01 · The task
The two plans below show a café in 2015 and the same café today, after it was redesigned. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
02 · Band 9 sample answer
190 words · Band 9The two plans compare the layout of a café before it was redesigned with how it is arranged today.
Overall, the redesign has transformed the café from a simple sit-down eatery into a more varied venue offering several food options and outdoor space. This was achieved mainly by removing the staff facilities in the centre and adding new counters and seating, while the core of the café was left untouched.
The most significant change occurred in the middle of the café, where the two staff dining rooms were removed and replaced by a takeaway-food counter and a coffee bar. Along the top wall, the single serving area that once provided all food and drink was converted into a dedicated hot-meals counter.
Several facilities were also added. A salad bar was installed along the left-hand wall, the small bin on the right was upgraded to a set of recycling bins, and an area of outdoor seating, complete with a barbecue, was created at the front. Meanwhile, the kitchen, the main area of tables and chairs, and the toilets all remained unchanged.
03 · Why this scores Band 9
The response reports every significant change — the staff dining rooms becoming a takeaway counter and coffee bar, the serving area becoming a hot-meals counter, and the new salad bar, recycling bins and outdoor seating with a barbecue — and correctly notes what stayed the same (the kitchen, main seating and toilets). The overview captures the shift towards a more varied venue.
The changes are grouped logically — the central area first, then the additions around the edges — rather than listed at random. Location phrases guide the reader throughout — "in the middle of the café", "Along the top wall", "along the left-hand wall", "at the front", "Meanwhile" — giving the report a clear spatial structure.
Change and location vocabulary is precise and varied — "removed and replaced by", "was converted into", "was installed", "was upgraded to", "complete with a barbecue", "remained unchanged" — avoiding a flat repetition of "changed" or "added".
The past passive is used accurately to describe the redesign — "were removed and replaced by", "was converted into", "was installed", "was upgraded to", "was created" — alongside a fronted "By + gerund" structure ("This was achieved mainly by removing... and adding...") and a relative clause ("the serving area that once provided all food and drink"). The writing is error-free.
04 · Useful collocations for this task
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural collocations like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
05 · Frequently asked questions
What tense should I use to compare two plans?
Use the past passive if the change has already happened ("the staff rooms were removed"), or the present perfect passive for change up to now ("has been removed"). The passive keeps the focus on the café, not on who did the work.
How should I organise a map or plan answer?
Group the changes by area rather than listing them randomly. This model deals with the central area first, then the additions around the edges, which reads far more coherently than jumping around the plan.
Do I mention things that did not change?
Briefly, yes — noting what stayed the same (here, the kitchen, main seating and toilets) shows full coverage and gives an accurate comparison, but most of your answer should focus on the changes.
How long should a Task 1 answer be?
At least 150 words; a band-9 answer is usually 170–200. This model is 190 words, enough for an overview and all the main changes grouped by location. Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1.
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