Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-20

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 6.0)

The pictorial diagram provides information about a public library and compares its old plan with its renewed layout.

Overall, the central library has four separate rooms dedicated each for a specefic purpose. However, almost everything was changed and important facilities were added. Generally, the place seemed less crowded and more organized after the redevelopment.

20 years ago, there were tables and chairs in the center. To the west of the hall, there were adult fiction book and to the east were adult non-fiction books.

In cotrast, today the center is empty, all reference books are found to the west , and adult fiction books were moved, to the east along with an information desk and self-service machines for snacks and drinks.

The children's books' room was converted into a lecture room. The area that was dedicated for CDs, videos, and computer games is now dedicated for storytelling events, provided with two sofas and a corner for children's fiction books.

To the south-east, the enquiry disks where one could buy tickets or return books 20 years ago became a café now. Also a computer room was installed in the place of the old reading room where members used to read magazines and newspapers in.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main features of the library's layout from 20 years ago and comparing them with the present day. Key changes are accurately reported, such as the conversion of the children's books room into a lecture room and the transformation of the enquiry desk into a café. The overview paragraph captures the general transformation effectively, noting that the space became less crowded and more organised. While a few minor details could be elaborated further, the response covers all critical spatial shifts well, aligning solidly with the Band 7 criteria for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory overview paragraph, followed by a description of the past layout, and concludes with current changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', '20 years ago', 'In contrast', and 'Also' are employed effectively to guide the reader through the spatial comparisons, though referencing is occasionally slightly repetitive ('dedicated for'). Overall progression is clear throughout, satisfying Band 7 requirements.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for describing a floor plan and spatial changes, using terms like 'pictorial diagram', 'renewed layout', 'converted', and 'installed'. However, there are a few lexical inaccuracies and spelling errors, such as 'specefic' instead of 'specific', 'cotrast' instead of 'contrast', and 'disks' instead of 'desks'. Phrasing like 'dedicated each for a specefic purpose' lacks natural collocation. Despite these minor flaws, the vocabulary used is adequate to convey precise meaning, supporting a Band 6.5 score rounded to 6.0 based on frequency of slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'where members used to read magazines and newspapers in'). Grammatical control is generally fair, but there are several noticeable mechanical errors and awkward preposition usages, such as missing articles ('to the west of the hall, there were adult fiction book') and dangling prepositions ('newspapers and magazines in'). Punctuation slips also occur, such as a comma splice before 'and adult fiction books were moved'. Because errors occasionally interrupt flow, the response fits the Band 6 descriptor well.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.