Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-02

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)

Well this is the floor plan of library today that is very changed from the library that was 20 years ago. As today, there are no tables and chairs on the floor plan, it had 2 circular paintings 20 years ago. At the left side of the enterance, the comuter room was used to be a Reading room (newspapers and magazines) and cafe on the right side was used to be an Enqiry desk (tickets, book returns, etc.). The main area between the two perpendicular rooms, that is toady an area for Adult fiction books, Self-service machines and an Information desk in between, was an Adult non-fiction books area, and right sraight to it was Adult fiction books area on the currently All refrence books section. The current room in upper left corner of Storytelling events and Children's fiction books was not so big and was known as a CDs, videos, computer games room. The same Lecture room in the upper right corner was known as Children's books room. Moreover, the size of some current rooms was different and having different entrances.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by attempting to summarise the main changes between the two floor plans. However, the information is presented in a somewhat confused and disjointed manner, and several spatial relationships are misread or inaccurately described. For example, the student states that the computer room used to be a reading room, whereas the map shows the new computer room occupying the bottom-left space and the reading room was previously in that general area. While an overview is attempted at the beginning, key features are not systematically compared, leading to an under-developed summary that only partially covers the visual data provided.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The essay lacks clear overall progression and logical organisation. The text is presented as a single dense paragraph rather than being structured into a proper introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, or inaccurate, making it difficult for the reader to follow the spatial comparisons smoothly. Referencing between the past and present layouts is often confusing, with phrases like 'right sraight to it' creating a mechanical and disjointed flow of information that obscures the logical progression of the comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. There are several noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and typos, such as 'comuter', 'Enqiry', and 'refrence'. While the student attempts to use some less common vocabulary related to the diagram (such as 'perpendicular rooms'), inaccurate word forms and imprecise collocations occur throughout the text. These lexical slips and spelling errors occasionally cause strain and confusion for the reader in interpreting the specific features of the library.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The grammatical range is limited, relying mostly on simple and faulty complex sentence structures. There are frequent errors in verb forms, tenses, and prepositions, such as in the phrase 'was used to be' instead of 'used to be', and awkward phrasing like 'was different and having different entrances'. Punctuation and article usage are also inconsistent. These frequent grammatical errors disrupt the flow and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader in understanding the precise structural relationships being described.

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