Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-30
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 illustrate the changes that took place in the Central Library over a period of 20 years from the past to present.
Overall, the library underwent significant changes including a cafe, an information desk and the self-sevice machines during the period. While the entrance remains unchanged, several new facilities such as sofa, the computer room were added and some existing features like tables and chairs were removed.
Twenty years ago, the Cental Library consisted an enquiry desk, childrens books and reading room. The enquiry desk was located in the right corner of the entrance, while childrens books were situated far away from the entrance to the right side. In addition, the reading room was located in the left corner of the entrance.
At present, the library had changed considerably. The chil
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to describe the main changes in the Central Library floor plan over the 20-year period. An overview is provided, noting general additions and removals. However, the response is incomplete, stopping abruptly in the middle of a sentence ("The chil...") due to running out of text. Furthermore, the length requirement of a minimum of 150 words is not met, as the response contains only 132 words. Consequently, Task Achievement is penalised for under-length and incomplete development, restricting the score to a 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a basic logical structure, beginning with an introductory paragraph, an overview, and a description of the past layout. Cohesive devices such as "While", "In addition", and "At present" are used to connect ideas. However, paragraphing is disrupted by the abrupt cutoff at the end of the text. Overall progression is clear in the earlier parts, but the incomplete nature of the essay impacts the overall cohesion and organisation, resulting in a band 5.5 score.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms like "significant changes", "facilities", "enclosed room", and "entrance". There are a few lexical and spelling errors, such as "illustrate" instead of "illustrates" (subject-verb agreement), "self-sevice" (spelling mistake), and "Cental" (spelling mistake). Despite these flaws, communication is not impeded. The vocabulary is minimally adequate for a task of this type, earning a band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as "While the entrance remains unchanged, several new facilities such as sofa, the computer room were added...". There are grammatical errors present, including subject-verb agreement issues ("The map illustrate") and pluralisation errors ("such as sofa"). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the incomplete ending limits the evaluation of full structural range. Control over grammar is moderate, fitting the band 6.0 descriptor.
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