Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-29
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)
There are two different floor plans of a public library at two different times. The first plan is twenty years ago and it shows four main section of the library. Starting from the entrance, the right section is the enquiry desk and is used for the information about the tickets, books return etc. On the other side, a reading room is allocated for the visitors who want to read the newspapers and magazines. The children's books are placed in the room located the right side upper corner while the CDs, videos and computer games were availbale in the left side upper corner. However, the Adult non-fiction books and the fiction books are placed right side and left side open areas. The central sitting plan was used for the people who want to read calmly.
The today floor plan of the library is with few changes. From the entrance, the right side corner is allocated for cafe and self-service machines are placed there for the people who want to have beverages and eatables. The information desk is at the right side open area and adult fiction books are placed next to the information desk. There is also the addition of lecture room from the previous plan. A comparatively bigger place is allocated for Children including new activities of storytelling events for the entertainment of the children. The computer room is left of the enterance and all reference books are placed in the left side open area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the library in both time periods and making relevant comparisons. You correctly identify the location of the entrance, the reading room, the children's books, and the general open areas. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and omissions in spatial reporting; for instance, the café is located on the bottom-right rather than directly at the right-side corner in the current plan, and some features from the original plan like the central tables and chairs are omitted in the summary of the past. Nonetheless, an overall overview is present and the main spatial transformations are successfully reported, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a clear division between the past layout and the current layout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two time periods. Cohesive devices are functional, such as 'Starting from the entrance', 'On the other side', and 'However'. However, some referencing is slightly clunky or repetitive, and transitions between sentences can feel a bit mechanical. For example, 'The today floor plan of the library is with few changes' is awkward as a topic sentence. Overall logical progression is maintained throughout, satisfying the Band 6 descriptors well.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe locations, furniture, and rooms ('enquiry desk', 'reference books', 'storytelling events', 'self-service machines'). There are some noticeable lexical and collocational errors, such as 'The today floor plan' instead of 'The current floor plan' or 'The floor plan today', and spelling errors like 'availbale' and 'enterance'. Less common items are attempted with mixed success. The range is sufficient to convey the meaning, but these repeated slips keep the lexical score at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures in your description ('Starting from the entrance, the right section is the enquiry desk and is used for...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, such as 'The today floor plan of the library is with few changes', 'books return' instead of 'book returns', and 'placed right side and left side open areas' missing prepositions. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 7. Control of grammar is generally at a Band 6 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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