Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-01

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 map illustrate a diagram of a central library in the past two decades.

Overall, the map demonstrate about how an old library with old cultural facilities are changed into a modern and innovative way. In the first layout, Constructing story telling events and sofas instead of that typical games room has changed the old perspective of libraries. Providing the facilities of lecture room has shifted culturally libraries into a productive place. Adding children`s fiction book section instead of only facilitating adults is a new way to engage youth towards reading books. While adding self-service machines will make easier for the readers to find their favorite books in less time.

Moving towards the entrance of the library , Removing old traditional inquiry desks into a cafe is a fascinating innovation . A computer room instead of the reading room will create a sense of enjoyment because the whole library itself is a reading room .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe the changes in the library, but it fails to provide a clear, objective summary of the visual data. Instead of reporting the changes in layout (e.g., the relocation of the entrance or the replacement of specific rooms), the response focuses on subjective interpretations, such as 'creating a sense of enjoyment' or 'productive place'. The task requires a factual report of the spatial changes shown in the diagrams. Furthermore, the response lacks a clear overview of the most significant changes, which is essential for a high score. The information provided is somewhat disjointed and does not clearly contrast the 'before' and 'after' states in a structured manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between ideas is often abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the phrase 'Moving towards the entrance' is used, but the subsequent description does not clearly link the spatial changes to the overall layout. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the two time periods. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks the necessary flow to guide the reader effectively through the changes.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are several instances of awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'cultural facilities are changed into a modern and innovative way' and 'shifted culturally libraries'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles to use precise terminology to describe the features of a floor plan (e.g., 'typical games room', 'old traditional inquiry desks'). While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of variety and the presence of unnatural phrasing prevent a higher score. More precise terms related to spatial description and change would improve the quality of the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Subject-verb agreement issues are common, such as 'The map illustrate' and 'the map demonstrate'. There are also punctuation errors, such as the space before the comma in 'library , Removing'. The use of articles is inconsistent, and some sentence constructions are awkward, such as 'Removing old traditional inquiry desks into a cafe is a fascinating innovation'. These errors occasionally impede the flow of the text, though the overall meaning remains understandable. A greater focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy is needed.

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