Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-17
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 represents the advancement of a central library over time.
Overall, today's public library looks well-organized with proper separate compartments along with addition of lecture room, cafe, computer room and various reference books as compared to the library 20 years ago.
In the central library, children's books are replaced by lecture room in the southeast corner followed by an enquiry desk that is transformed into a cafe in right south corner of library. The tables and chairs are removed in new library in front of entrance. A notable change is observed by shifting of adult fiction books location from west to east in new library besides to information desk.
In contrast, the left south corner reading room of old library is replaced by computer room. Furthermore, the left north corner is also replaced with fiction books and storytelling events along with the addition of two sofas to facilitate the children.
The new transformation of library is spacious and convenient for the students along with the addition of self-service machines as compared to 20 years ago.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student covers the main changes between the two floor plans, identifying key alterations such as the addition of the lecture room, café, computer room, and self-service machines. An overview is present at the beginning, noting that the library looks well-organized with various new facilities compared to 20 years ago. However, some directional and spatial descriptions are slightly inaccurate or confusing according to the source diagram (e.g., placing the lecture room in the southeast corner when the diagram shows it in the top-right/north-east, and describing the enquiry desk as being transformed into a café when the café is in the bottom-right and the enquiry desk was in the bottom-right previously). Despite these minor misreadings of spatial arrangement, the overall response successfully outlines the principal transformations.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introductory overview followed by body paragraphs detailing specific spatial transformations and concluding with a general summary remark. Cohesive devices and transition markers such as 'Overall', 'In the central library', and 'In contrast' are employed to guide the reader through the comparisons. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and the flow between certain sentences can feel slightly disjointed due to awkward phrasing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body details, and concluding observations.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate vocabulary range suited to a diagram description task, incorporating functional terms such as 'compartments', 'transformations', 'facilities', and 'spacious'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, though word choice and collocation are occasionally unnatural or imprecise, such as 'advancement of a central library' instead of 'development' or 'changes', and 'right south corner' instead of 'bottom-right corner'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede overall communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as passive constructions ('are replaced', 'are removed') and participial phrases ('along with the addition of'). There are several grammatical inaccuracies and awkward prepositional uses, such as 'besides to information desk' instead of 'beside the information desk' and 'left south corner' instead of 'south-west corner'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors occur regularly, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of the content.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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