Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The two plans illustrate how the Central Library has changed since it first opened 20 years ago.
Overall, the features have changed substantially. The central tables and chairs have been completely skipped now. A cafe is introduced in the present plan which was absent twenty years ago. Moreover, an information desk is placed near adult fiction books. All of the sections are now categorized rather than different sections for each book type twenty years ago. Adult non-fiction books are also finished now.
The entrance for the library is at the same location as it was twenty years ago. The right corner of the library now has a cafe which was previously an enquiry desk for tickets or book returns. Across the cafe are self-service machines for the users. An information desk is placed between the machines and the adult fiction books. These three features have been added in the place of adult non-fiction books which allocated the space here twenty years ago. Behind the adult non-fiction books is a lecture room that was the place for children's books twenty years ago. The children's fiction books are now situated at top left of the library plan which includes sofa's and a place for storytelling events.
The place for CDs, videos and computer games is now converted into a computer room in the place of the reading room. The reading room is finished now . The place for adult's fiction books from the past is now allocated to reference books.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to cover the main features of the library plans from 20 years ago and today, providing an overall summary and pointing out key alterations such as the addition of the cafe and computer room. However, there are several factual inaccuracies in reading the diagrams. For instance, the student states that adult non-fiction books are "finished now" and that all reference books are in the past place of adult fiction, whereas the plans show adult fiction remains on the right side and reference books have replaced the old adult non-fiction area. Furthermore, some descriptions of spatial locations are imprecise. Despite these errors, the general comparison is largely addressed, placing this response at Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing spatial changes. Cohesive devices are attempted, though some are used mechanically or awkwardly, such as repetitive starting phrases or vague referencing like "These three features have been added". Paragraphing is adequate and gives the essay a coherent overall structure, though the flow of comparisons between the two time periods is sometimes disjointed due to phrasing like "finished now". Overall, the organizational structure meets the criteria for Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as "categorized", "allocated", and "situated". However, there are noticeable limitations and awkward collocations, such as saying features are "skipped now" or "finished now" instead of removed or replaced. Word choices are sometimes imprecise or repetitive when describing locations. While these lexical errors and limitations do not completely obscure the message, they restrict the score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ("which was absent twenty years ago"). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including missing articles ("in the place of adult non-fiction books which allocated the space here") and incorrect pluralization with apostrophes ("sofa's"). However, the grammatical errors rarely impede overall communication, allowing the essay to achieve a Band 6.0 for grammar.
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.