Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-25

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 map compares the layout of public library from two decades ago and shows its todays look.

All in all, the library have fours rooms previously and now but there is a changing in all the rooms. However self-services machines are newly installed.

Starting with the look of 20 years ago, the top corner room used to have Cds, videos and computer games. Followed by the Adult fiction books settled just below and outside that room. However, the top right corner room was designated for children containing children's books, just outside this rooms were the Adult non-fiction books department. In contrast, the bottomright corner room was used for enquiry purposes, such as enquiry of tickets, book returns etc. On the other hand, the bottom left corner room was used for reading of news papers and magazines. The tables and chairs were settled in the middle of the building.

Moving toward how library looks today, the north west room is now replaced with storytelling events and Children's fiction books also containing sofas on 2 corners. However, the north east room is now used for lectures. In contrast, the bottom right corner room is now replaced with cafe and the right corner room is replaced by computer lab.

At the end, the tables and chairs are removed from center and the west side is replaced with the reference books, while on the right side new self centred machines are installed along with adult ficion books and information desk changing their old location.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to cover the main features of the library's layout from 20 years ago compared to the present day. However, there are notable inaccuracies and confusions in reporting the spatial arrangements. For instance, the student states that the 'bottom right corner room was used for enquiry purposes', whereas the diagram shows an open enquiry desk area rather than an enclosed room. Similarly, the description of the modern layout contains spatial errors, such as misidentifying the locations of the computer lab and the café. While an overview is attempted ('there is a changing in all the rooms'), the response lacks precision and contains several misreadings of the provided diagram. This places the performance firmly in Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is divided into logical paragraphs, separating the introduction, the past layout, the present layout, and a brief summary. Cohesive devices are attempted (e.g., 'Starting with', 'Moving toward', 'In contrast'), but their use is sometimes mechanical or imprecise, such as concluding with 'At the end'. Referencing is occasionally confusing, as seen in vague directional markers like 'the right corner room'. Paragraphing structure is discernible and aids readability overall, but the logical progression within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by inaccurate spatial descriptions. This performance corresponds to a Band 6.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate vocabulary range to describe the changes, employing words such as 'layout', 'designated', 'replaced', and 'installed'. However, there are noticeable word choice errors and unnatural collocations, such as 'todays look', 'self-services machines', 'self centred machines', and 'ficion books'. Spelling and morphological errors ('news papers', 'four rooms') are present. The vocabulary is minimally adequate for the task, but frequent inaccuracies in word form and collocation prevent the score from reaching a higher band, making Band 5.0 appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and contrastive structures (e.g., 'The map compares the layout of public library from two decades ago and shows its todays look'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in articles ('the public library', 'a changing'), subject-verb agreement ('the library have', 'adult ficion books... changing'), and prepositions ('on 2 corners'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur with high frequency and affect the majority of complex constructions. This warrants a Band 5.

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

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