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 two diagrams illustrates the comparison between the structure of the main floor of a public library twenty years ago and its redesigned map-print today.
Overall, the entire floor plan has been significantly modified: the four major sections in the four corners of library has been changed for different purposes. From the centre of the library, the tables and chairs are removed.
Turning to 20 years ago, enquiry desk, reserved for buying tickets and returning books, was just on the right side of the entrance. The librarians used to read newspapers and magazines in the reading room on the right side of the entrance. Children's books and a room for CDs, videos, computer games were on the right-top corner and left-top corner respectively. They were followed by adult non-fiction and adult fiction with tables and chairs in the mid of the library.
Regarding the present map-print, the room for young's books was replaced by lecture room, with adult fiction books, information desk, and self-service machines just below it. Subsequently, Strory telling events were held in a room in the left-top corner room. Beneath it was a section preserved for all reference books. Additionally, just besides the enterance were the two rooms: cafe on one side, while computer room on the other side.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to summarise the main features of the library floor plan comparing the past and present layouts. An overview is present, noting the overall modification and the removal of tables and chairs. However, there are notable factual inaccuracies regarding the locations of rooms in both time periods. For instance, the student states that the enquiry desk was on the right side of the entrance 20 years ago (it was on the bottom right) and places the children's books and CDs in the 'right-top' and 'left-top' corners when they were actually on opposite sides. Furthermore, the description of the current layout confuses several rooms, mislocating the cafe and computer room. Consequently, while the general trends are captured, the precision required for a higher band is lacking due to these spatial misreadings.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the past and present layouts respectively. Transitional phrases like 'Turning to 20 years ago' and 'Regarding the present map-print' are employed to guide the reader through the diagrams. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty; for instance, 'They were followed by adult non-fiction' creates ambiguity regarding what 'they' refers to. Paragraphing is generally appropriate, but the logical progression within the body paragraphs is somewhat hindered by the spatial confusion of the room locations.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts to use a range of vocabulary relevant to describing changes and architectural layouts, such as 'significantly modified', 'replaces', and 'preserved'. However, there are several lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'map-print' instead of 'map' or 'plan', 'young's books' instead of 'children's books', 'mid of the library' instead of 'middle', and 'besides the enterance'. Spelling errors like 'enterance' and 'Strory telling' also occur. The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but lexical control is inconsistent.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The two diagrams illustrates...' (which contains a subject-verb agreement error) and 'Regarding the present map-print, the room for young's books was replaced by lecture room...'. There are several grammatical inaccuracies throughout the text, including missing articles ('by lecture room', 'on one side') and incorrect prepositions ('in the mid of the library'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.