Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-03

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 maps below draw attention to the floor plan of a public library 20 years past and the recent changes dated today.

Overall, the most noticible feature here is at the centre of the library where the sitting arrangment with tables and chairs were made 20 years ago now is full demolished and only adult fiction books pile is accompined with information desk, self service machines on the rigth and all reference books room on the left are set up now, which were absent in the past(20 years ago). Moreover, every dedicated rooms for books which were present 20 years ago are now refurbished and new changes are made.

A glance at the map reveals that 20 years ago where there used to be CDs, videos and computer games room is now at present is the room specially designed for story telling and a setting arrangement of sofa with a corner of children's fiction books. Additionally, children's books room at the top rigth corner of the library is now the place dedicated for lectures only. Whereas, back in 20 years from today the corner for adult fiction books is now replaced for all reference books and the sitting arrangement of tables and chairs are fully removed now. Suprisingly, the room of the adult non-fiction books in now being squeesed by the adult fiction books shelf, information desk in the middle and self-service machines.

The further analysis of the daigram shows that the 20 years old floor plan reveals that at the bottom left corner is known as the reading room(newspaper and agazines where avaible) has now fully refurbished and changes into a computer room, also the entrance for the same is changes now. Intrestingly, the enquiry desk where ticekts, books returns and etc were accesible back than is at present the cafe room for all. Whereas, the entrace for the whole library is at the same place now and even 20 years before.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main features of the library floor plans and providing relevant comparisons between the past and present layouts. An overview is successfully presented right at the beginning, noting the major spatial transformations. However, some ideas are a bit under-developed or tangled in overly complex sentence structures, such as the lengthy second sentence in the first paragraph, which mixes multiple spatial shifts together without entirely clear separation. Key changes, like the conversion of the old media room into a storytelling space and the replacement of tables with self-service machines, are accurately reported, demonstrating a solid understanding of the visual data. To reach a higher band, the overview could be more clearly demarcated, and the comparisons could be presented with greater conciseness and clarity to avoid occasional confusion in detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to organize information logically into paragraphs that compare different sections of the library. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, with transitional phrases like 'A glance at the map reveals', 'The further analysis of the daigram', and 'Intrestingly' feeling somewhat formulaic or awkward. Paragraphing is present, but the internal flow within paragraphs can be disjointed, as seen in the dense second paragraph where multiple location shifts occur in rapid succession without smooth transitions. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, making it hard for the reader to track spatial relationships immediately. To improve cohesion, you should employ a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that each sentence links logically to the next without abrupt shifts in focus.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a description of a floor plan, attempting less common items such as 'refurbished', 'transformed', and 'squeezed'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('noticible', 'arrangment', 'accompined', 'rigth', 'squeesed', 'daigram', 'agazines', 'avaible', 'Intrestingly', 'ticekts', 'entrace') and occasional word choice inaccuracies that detract from precision. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they highlight a lack of control over more advanced spelling and lexical collocation. To achieve a higher band, you need to expand your active vocabulary with more precise spatial descriptors and pay closer attention to spelling accuracy and word forms in your drafting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use relative clauses and participial phrases, such as 'which were absent in the past' and 'where there used to be CDs'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors involving subject-verb agreement ('the sitting arrangment... were made... is full demolished'), missing articles ('is now at present the room specially designed'), tense inconsistencies, and prepositions ('back in 20 years from today'). These errors require the reader to occasionally reread parts of sentences to grasp the intended meaning. To improve this criterion, you must focus on foundational grammatical accuracy—specifically ensuring that subjects and verbs agree, articles are used correctly with singular countable nouns, and complex sentence structures are constructed without disrupting the core syntax.

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