Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-05

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 floor maps illustrate the chnages of public library 20 years ago and how it looks now.

Overall, the area underwent considerable development,several new facilites were comstructed, while CDs,Videos, computer games was demolished into Sofa, Storytelling events and childrens books area was converted into Lecture room.The area consequently became more developed.

In 20 years ago, CDs, Videos, Computer games was situated in the North-west, that has been converted into sofa sitting area,Storytelling events, And in childerns books in the today library. Childerns books area was situated in the upper corner of the North-east in the past that hes been converted into Lecture room. Furthermore, the reading room( newspapers and magazines) was situated in the south-west corner, that is transformed into Computer room in today library. Similarly the enquiry desk (tickets, book returnss, etc) was situated in the South-east corner in 20 years ago , that is shifted into cafe.

In contrast, The tables and chairs was removed into the new library, also adult fiction books and non adult fiction books has been converted into all refrencen book and adult fiction books with informational books in todays library, the self service machine were also built in new library.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making comparisons between the central library 20 years ago and how it looks now. An overview is attempted at the beginning, noting that the area underwent considerable development with several new facilities constructed. However, some ideas and details are under-developed or inaccurately described. For example, stating that the previous CDs, videos, and computer games area 'was demolished into Sofa' is imprecise, as this space was converted into a storytelling and children's fiction area containing sofas. The selection of features is generally relevant, but the description lacks clarity in places when tracing specific spatial transformations, placing it securely at this level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to organise information chronologically and spatially, dividing the text into paragraphs. However, progression is sometimes hindered by faulty or mechanical cohesion and repetitive referencing patterns. Phrases like 'In 20 years ago' and 'that has been converted into' are overused to link clauses, making the flow somewhat mechanical. Paragraphing is present, but the internal logical flow of sentences often lacks smooth transitions, and referencing pronouns do not always clearly point to the intended antecedent, resulting in a somewhat disjointed reading experience.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate to convey the general message, attempting less common lexical items such as 'considerable development', 'demolished', and 'transformed'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form throughout the text, such as 'chnages' (spelling), 'facilites' (spelling), 'comstructed' (spelling), 'refrencen' (spelling), and awkward phrasing like 'demolished into Sofa'. While these errors do not seriously impede overall communication, they restrict the vocabulary score due to frequent slips and a limited, minimally precise range of terms for describing spatial changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in prepositions and time markers, such as 'In 20 years ago' instead of 'Twenty years ago', and subject-verb agreement issues like 'The tables and chairs was removed'. Article usage is also problematic, as seen in 'in today library' and 'in new library'. Although some complex structures are attempted, errors in punctuation, run-on clauses, and grammatical patterns are noticeable throughout the response, though they rarely impede overall comprehension.

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