Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

the diagram shows the floor plan of a public library 20 years age and today.20 years old library and today have been many changes. first cange is old library have a children book section but new library in this place change and creat the lecture room.old library have a cds, videos and computer games but in the new library in this place change to storyelling events and children`s fiction room. in old library adult non fiction books in the right side but new library adeed the information desk and self service maching. the change is in the old library center have tables and chairs but new library this is not added. also changed the enquiry desk and tickes and book returns section, in the new library creat a cafe in this place. new library left side creat the two section one is reference books and other one is computer room.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion4.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important changes, including the removal of the central tables and chairs, the addition of a lecture room and café, and the new computer and reference-book areas. However, the response is only a partial summary: it gives no clear overview of the main transformation and omits notable features such as the information desk and self-service machines’ precise location, and the children’s storytelling area with sofas. Some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate—for example, the old children’s-book area became a lecture room, while the former CDs/videos/games room became children’s fiction and storytelling, not simply a children’s-fiction room. The response is also 140 words, below the 150-word minimum; the 10 words copied from the prompt were not counted. Develop the key changes more fully and accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response follows a broadly chronological comparison, moving from the old plan to the new one, and it uses basic sequencing signals such as “first” and “also.” This gives the reader some sense of how the library changed. However, the ideas are presented as one continuous block, with no paragraphing or clear overview, and the repeated pattern “old library … but new library” makes the progression mechanical. Several links are difficult to follow, particularly “in this place change and creat the lecture room” and “new library left side creat the two section.” Organise the response into an introduction and overview, followed by grouped details about the left, right and central areas, and use clearer linking and reference phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “floor plan,” “section,” “tables and chairs,” “information desk,” and “self service,” so the reader can recognise many of the features being compared. The range is nevertheless limited, and repeated general words such as “change,” “place,” and “section” make the description imprecise. Several spelling and word-form errors—“cange,” “storyelling,” “maching,” and “tickes”—also reduce clarity. Some combinations are unnatural, for example “new library creat a cafe in this place”; more precise verbs and location phrases would improve the description. Build a small set of map vocabulary, such as “was converted into,” “was relocated,” “occupies the former area,” and “on the left-hand side,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to compare past and present layouts, and the repeated contrast with “but” shows an effort to connect related ideas. However, sentence structures are mostly simple or run together, and frequent errors in tense, agreement, articles and sentence boundaries make parts difficult to read. For example, “20 years old library and today have been many changes” lacks a complete, correctly formed clause, while “old library have” and “new library creat” do not use appropriate subject–verb forms. The response also lacks consistent capitalisation and full stops. Practise accurate past and present passive forms for map changes, such as “The room was converted into a café” and “The information desk is now located beside the fiction section,” then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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