Key features to report

• The basic structure is unchanged: the kitchen remains in the top left-hand corner, the toilets stay in the bottom right-hand corner, and the large central area is still filled with tables and chairs.
• The single serving area for all food and drink next to the kitchen has become a hot meals counter, so food service is now split between several different points.
• The two staff dining rooms along the top wall have been removed and replaced by a takeaway food counter and a coffee bar.
• A salad bar has been added along the left-hand wall, and the single bin on the right-hand wall has been replaced by recycling bins.
• The biggest addition is outside: an outdoor seating area with several tables now runs along the bottom of the building, with a barbecue in the bottom left-hand corner, reached through a new door in the lower wall.
• Because the plans show past and present, the changes are best reported with the present perfect passive, such as has been replaced, has been added and have been converted.

Model overview

Overall, the café has been transformed from a single-counter canteen with private staff dining rooms into a more varied food outlet with several specialised serving points. The most significant addition is an outdoor seating area with a barbecue, while the kitchen, toilets and main seating area remain in the same positions.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the task in one sentence: the plans illustrate the layout of a college café before its redesign and its present-day layout.

2. 2

   Overview

   State the main changes without detail: the café now offers food from several specialised counters instead of one serving area, the staff dining rooms have gone, an outdoor area has been created, and the kitchen, toilets and central seating are unchanged.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 1: the serving areas and staff rooms

   Explain that the original serving area for all food and drink beside the kitchen now serves only hot meals, that the two staff dining rooms have been replaced by a takeaway food counter and a coffee bar, and that a salad bar has been added on the left-hand wall.

4. 4

   Body paragraph 2: other indoor changes and the outdoor area

   Mention that the bin has become recycling bins and that the toilets and seating area are unchanged. Then describe the new outdoor seating along the bottom of the building, reached by a new door, with a barbecue in the corner next to the salad bar.

Useful comparisons

• Contrast what has stayed the same (kitchen, toilets, central tables and chairs) with what has changed.
• Contrast one serving area for all food and drink with today's four separate outlets: hot meals, takeaway food, coffee bar and salad bar.
• Show how the space used by staff for dining has been given over to customers through the takeaway counter and coffee bar.
• Compare indoor and outdoor changes: most indoor changes are conversions of existing spaces, while the outdoor seating and barbecue are completely new.
• Note the small environmental change from a single bin to recycling bins.
• Organise the description by location: along the top wall, along the side walls, then outside.

Band 8+ model answer

212 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.

Why this answer scores highly

Task Achievement

The answer gives a clear overview of the shift to several specialised food outlets and the new outdoor area, and accurately covers every significant change while noting the features that remain unchanged.

Coherence and Cohesion

Changes are organised by area, first the serving points, then the other indoor features, then the outside, and linking such as originally, in addition, elsewhere and however makes each comparison easy to follow.

Lexical Resource

Precise vocabulary for change and location, such as replaced by, installed, in the top left-hand corner and along the left-hand wall, is used accurately and without repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The answer uses present perfect passive forms consistently, contrasts them with past forms for the original layout, and includes accurate relative and participle clauses.

Useful vocabulary

redesign

change the layout or appearance of a place

layout

the way the parts of a building or room are arranged

be converted into

be changed so that it is used for a different purpose

be replaced by

be removed so that something else can take its place

be relocated

be moved to a different position

serving counter

the place where food or drink is handed to customers

takeaway food

food bought to be eaten somewhere else

outdoor seating area

tables and chairs outside the building for customers

be added

be built or put in as something new

remain unchanged

stay exactly as before

along the left-hand wall

positioned against the wall on the left side of the plan

adjacent to

next to

more varied range of options

a greater choice of different kinds of food and drink

Common mistakes

• Using compass directions such as north or east, which the plans do not show; use positions like at the top, along the left-hand wall or in the bottom right-hand corner.
• Describing the two plans separately one after the other instead of comparing each area before and after.
• Missing the outdoor seating area and barbecue, which are the largest additions.
• Saying the serving area was removed, when it is still in the same place but now serves only hot meals.
• Using only active verbs with invented subjects, such as they built a salad bar, instead of the passive voice that suits map changes.
• Giving opinions about whether the new design is better for students, which is not part of the task.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

This question comparing the plans of a college café before and after its redesign is Writing Task 1 of Test 2 in Cambridge IELTS 21 Academic.

Which tense should I use for this map question?

Use the past simple for the original café and the present perfect passive for the changes, for example the staff dining rooms have been replaced by a coffee bar. The present simple suits features that exist today.

Should I use north, south, east and west?

Only if the plan shows a compass. These plans do not, so describe positions with phrases such as next to the kitchen, along the top wall or outside the building.

How many words should I write for this Task 1?

Write at least 150 words; around 170-200 words lets you cover the overview and every significant change in about 20 minutes.