Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-26

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)

Word Choice: 1

The map illustrates the changes to the Library from 20 years ago to the present.

Overall, there were significant changes in layout and the infrastructure of the building over the period.

In the past, CDs, videos, computer games were replaced with the storytelling events and children's fiction books that were relocated to the northeast corner of the library. Children's books were replaced from lecture room that were northwest corner of the library. The tables and chairs were eliminated that are centre to the library and front of the entrance, and adult non-fiction books were replaced with the information desk.

Similarly, the reading books were replaced to the computer room that were northeast corner of the library. Moreover, the Enquiry desk was replaced to the cafe that were southwest corner of the library, and adult fiction books were replaced to All reference books.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response is under the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, containing 145 words, which negatively impacts task achievement. While the student attempts to describe the main changes between the two maps, there are several misreadings of the visual data. For instance, the text claims that 'CDs, videos, computer games were replaced with the storytelling events', whereas the map shows storytelling events combined with children's fiction in the top-left room, and the media items have been entirely removed. Furthermore, directional and spatial relationships are frequently confused, such as misidentifying locations (e.g., placing the lecture room in the northwest when it is in the northeast). An overview is provided, but the factual inaccuracies prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text is structured with an introductory sentence and an overview, followed by body details, though paragraphing is poorly handled with overly dense and confusing groupings of information. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes misused, such as 'Similarly,' which inappropriately links unrelated spatial changes. Reference pronouns and substitution words like 'were replaced' are frequently used inaccurately, making it difficult to follow the progression of changes across the library layout. There is an overall lack of clear logical organization between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is repetitive and basic, relying heavily on phrases like 'were replaced' to describe nearly every alteration on the map. There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'the reading books were replaced to the computer room' instead of relocated or converted. While the response demonstrates a minimally adequate range of vocabulary to discuss a library layout (e.g., 'infrastructure', 'layout', 'relocated'), frequent errors in word choice and prepositional usage restrict the score to this band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows an attempt at complex sentence structures, but these are frequently marred by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'Children's books were replaced from lecture room that were northwest corner'). Passive voice constructions are overused and often grammatically flawed, particularly in prepositional complementation (e.g., 'were replaced to'). Errors in relative clauses and verb tenses are frequent, causing some difficulty for the reader, although basic meaning is generally discernible.

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

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