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)
The diagram illustrates the floor plan of a public library 20 years ago and how it looks now.
Overall, it is clear that the library has been modernized. Several rooms have been replaced by facilities such as lecture room, cafe, computer room and so on.
Initially, the upper left section was occupied by CDs, videos and computer games and the upper right section contained children's books. At the centre there were tables and chairs, the adult fiction and non-fiction books were around table and chairs. Furthermore, the bottom left room was a reading room and the bottom right corner was an enquiry desk.
Today, the upper left area consist of children's fiction books with story telling events and sofas and the upper right corner is a lecture room now. Table and chairs have been removed from the center and now the middle left area consist of all reference books and middle right area has aduly fiction books with self servce machines and information desk. However, new computer room is added to the bottm left and a cafe is introduced to the bottom right section. The entrance remains changed throught the period.
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 successfully covers all main features of the library floor plan comparing the past and the present. You have outlined the locations of rooms 20 years ago, such as CDs and videos in the upper-left, and the current layout including the new café and computer room. An adequate overview is provided in the second paragraph, noting the general modernization and replacement of certain facilities. However, there are a few minor inaccuracies or omissions in the detailed descriptions, such as stating 'the entrance remains changed' instead of unchanged, and missing some finer layout details. Overall, the task is addressed well, fulfilling the requirements of an Academic Task 1 response.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs, following a standard introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the past and current layouts respectively. Cohesive devices are used adequately, with phrases like 'Initially', 'Today', and 'However' helping to guide the reader through the comparison. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two time periods. However, referencing can occasionally feel somewhat mechanical, and some sentences lack smoother transitional bridges between spatial descriptions. Nevertheless, the progression of information remains clear throughout the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like 'floor plan', 'modernized', 'reference books', and 'self-service machines'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, such as 'aduly' instead of 'adult', 'servce' instead of 'service', and 'bottm' instead of 'bottom', alongside awkward phrasings like 'the entrance remains changed throught the period' (which contradicts the visual data or contains a typo regarding 'unchanged'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited precision, restricting the lexical score to a Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Overall, it is clear that the library has been modernized' and 'Today, the upper left area consist of children's fiction books...'. There are, however, several grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'area consist' instead of 'consists') and spelling mistakes ('story telling' instead of 'storytelling', 'throught' instead of 'throughout'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the text from reaching a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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