Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows the floor plan of a public library 20 years ago and how it looks now.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Central Library 20 years ago

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The diagram illustrates changes in the public library floor setting that how the library was 20 years before and how the library seems now.

Overall, there is major changes done to the floor setting like the tables and chairs are remove from the center, the childrens books room is replace with the lecture room, the enuiry desk is replace with cafe, moreover the events section is added to the library.

If we take a look on the library before picture when we enter the library and in front there were a setting area, on the right side of entrance there was a enquiry desk for tickets and book returns, adjacent to the enquiry desk ther was adult non fiction books area and then children books area. On the left side of the entrance there were reading room if we go ahead through left side there was adult fiction books and then gaming zone.

After 20 years the the setting area is removed, children book is replaced with the lecture room, enquiry desk is replaced with cafe, the computer room is added, to the left of entrance moreover the event hall is added at the end of left corner.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several major changes, including the removal of the central tables and chairs, the addition of a computer room and storytelling events, and changes to rooms on both sides. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the children’s books room was not replaced by the lecture room; it became a children’s fiction and storytelling area, while the lecture room occupies the former children’s-books room on the right. The café is also a new room, rather than simply a replacement for the enquiry desk, and the information desk and self-service machines are omitted. Some locations are described imprecisely, so the comparison is only partially developed. For a fuller response, report the main changes accurately and distinguish relocated or repurposed areas from newly added facilities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening, an overall summary, a description of the earlier plan, and a final comparison with the present layout. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the descriptions is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the long sentence beginning “On the right side of entrance,” where several locations are linked without clear spatial reference points. Connectors such as “moreover” are repeated, and the final paragraph largely repeats changes already mentioned in the overview. Use separate, clearly ordered descriptions of each plan and consistent directions such as “to the north of” or “on the right-hand side” to make the relationships easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a floor plan, including “adjacent,” “adult non fiction books,” “reading room,” and “computer room.” These terms help identify facilities and their positions. However, the range is limited, and several noticeable word-choice, spelling, and collocation problems reduce precision: “floor setting,” “gaming zone,” and “setting area” are not natural descriptions of the features shown, while “enuiry” and “ther” are misspelled. “Events section” is also vague for the storytelling area. Build a more precise set of map-description terms, such as “central seating area,” “enclosed room,” “open-plan section,” and “was converted into,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the response is generally understandable, but errors are frequent enough to make some relationships harder to follow. The opening clause “changes … that how the library was” is not grammatically complete, and “there is major changes” has an agreement error. Past-tense descriptions also shift inconsistently, as in “when we enter” and “there were a setting area.” Articles and plurals are often missing or incorrect (“a enquiry desk,” “children book”), and the final sentence contains a run-on structure. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and use shorter sentences to report locations. Then combine ideas with controlled clauses, checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation.

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