Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The map compare the layout of floor plan of a public library 20 year ago with its current arrangement.

Overall, it is clear that the library has undergoes significant redevelopment. several new facilities , including a cafe, lecture room, computer room, sofa, and selfservice machines, have been added, while multimedia section and enquiry desk have disappeared. In addition, children area has become more interactive with storytelling facilities.

Twenty year ago, the entrance led to a central area containing tables and chairs. On the left hand side were adult fiction book and a reading room for newspaper and magnizines, while the right hand side conatined adult non fiction books and a enquiry desk for ticket , book return, etc. on the upper left corner was used for CDs , videos, and computer games, whereas children's books were located in the upper right section.

Today, the central seating area was removed to create a wider walkway from the entrance. The former reading room has been converted into computer room , and enquiry desk has been replaced by cafe. the adult fiction book remain on the right but adult non fiction book replaced by information desk and self service machine.meanwhile , old multimedia section has became a children fiction book area with sofa, and storytelling events, while previous children books has been transformed into a lecture room.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two floor plans of the library. An overall summary is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key changes such as the addition of a café, lecture room, and computer room, alongside the removal of the multimedia section and central seating. Specific spatial details are also provided for both the past and present layouts. However, there are minor factual inaccuracies regarding location mapping, such as stating that adult non-fiction books were replaced by information desks when the plans show adult fiction moved to the right and reference books occupying the middle-left. Nonetheless, the overall response effectively covers the task requirements, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an introduction and overall trend to past arrangements and finally current features. Cohesive devices and transitional phrases such as 'Overall', 'In addition', 'Twenty years ago', and 'Today' are used to structure the text effectively. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in missing articles and occasional abrupt transitions between sentences (e.g., 'meanwhile , old multimedia section has became...'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently to group related information, but paragraph three contains a slight jumble of location shifts that impairs smooth progression. Overall coherence is maintained well enough to achieve a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to architectural changes and library facilities, such as 'layout', 'redevelopment', 'facilities', and 'converted'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'undergoes' instead of 'undergone', 'magnizines' instead of 'magazines', 'conatined' instead of 'contained', and 'became' instead of 'become'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy. While communication is not impeded, these frequent word-choice and spelling slips restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like relative clauses and time markers ('The map compare... Twenty year ago, the entrance led...'). However, basic grammatical errors are frequent throughout the response, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The map compare', 'adult fiction book', 'enquiry desk have'), missing plural forms ('children area', 'selfservice machines'), and missing articles ('was used for', 'has been converted into computer room'). Punctuation spacing around commas is also erratic. These errors indicate a lack of consistent control over simple and complex structures, placing this criterion at a Band 5.5.

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