Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-23

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 illustrates the development that have happened in the public library 20 years ago and how it looks now.

Overall, it can be seen that there are some changements between the two plans, whilst some things are removed now in the new plan, there are some key additions in it such as Self-service machines.

According to what is shown, the most noticeable thing in the diagram is the tables and chairs that were located in the middle of library 20 years ago, today they have been removed. we see that children’s books in the northwest of the plan was replaced by a lecture room, and CDs, videos and computer games area in the northwest became a storytelling events and children’s fiction books. It is obvious also that adult fiction books in the east have changed into all reference books and reading room below it became a computer room. Next to the reading room in the previous plan, the area used to be an enquiry desk, now they changed it into a café. The adult non-fiction books in the east of the previous plan became adult fiction books with extra information desk and self-service machines.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response covers the main changes between the two floor plans, identifying key features such as the removal of tables and chairs, and the addition of self-service machines, a café, and a lecture room. However, there are several spatial inaccuracies in the reporting. For instance, the student states that children's books in the northwest were replaced by a lecture room, whereas the lecture room is actually located in the top-right (northeast). Similarly, the adult fiction and non-fiction locations are confused. An overview is provided, but it lacks precision in its selection of details, holding the score back.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response features an attempt at organisation with an introductory overview and a body paragraph detailing the spatial transformations. However, the text suffers from a lack of paragraphing, presented as a single dense block after the intro, which hinders logical flow. Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, relying heavily on phrases like 'according to what is shown' and 'we see that'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'they changed it into a café' without a clear antecedent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for describing a floor plan, utilising terms such as 'development', 'enquiry desk', 'reference books', and 'self-service machines'. However, there are notable lexical errors and unnatural word choices, such as 'changements' instead of 'changes', and imprecise directional or relational phrases. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are limited, and the range remains somewhat narrow and repetitive throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using 'whilst' clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are basic agreement errors in the opening sentence ('the development that have happened'), punctuation errors including missing capitalization and a comma splice ('today they have been removed. we see that'), and occasional missing articles. Complex structures often contain minor errors, though they do not completely impede communication.

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.