Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

Provided map diagram demonstrates 20 years earlier and current layout of a public library.

From an overall perspective, it is apparent that the central library expanded some facilities as well as few has been demolished which indicates a noticable change.

Two decades ago, the entrance gate was in the south side of the library. Immediately after entering there was a reading room( newspapers and magazines) in the left and an oval shaped enquiry desk (tickets, book returns, etc) in the left. There were few tables and chair at the centre point of the public library. At the north-weast corner there were cds, videos, computer games along with an adult fiction books corner to the south side. The childres books room was situated at the northest portion and an adult non-fiction books section was at the straight nortern part of the library.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response only partially addresses the task requirements. First, the length falls short of the minimum 150-word requirement, stopping at 141 words. Second, the student only attempts to describe the library from 20 years ago and completely fails to report on how the library looks now or make any necessary comparisons between the two time periods. The overview is very basic and contains inaccurate claims, such as stating that facilities were demolished without accurately detailing the current layout. To reach a higher level, the writer must cover all parts of the prompt, including a full description of both time periods and clear comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some basic organisation attempted, but the text lacks an overall progression because the second half of the prompt's visual information (the current layout) is entirely missing. Paragraphing is attempted by separating the introduction, overview, and the single body paragraph describing the past layout. However, cohesive devices are limited and mechanical, with phrases like 'From an overall perspective' and 'Two decades ago' functioning as basic signposts. Pronoun referencing and overall logical flow are restricted by the incomplete nature of the response. To improve, the writer needs to logically sequence information across multiple body paragraphs covering both maps equally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical resource is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student uses basic library vocabulary such as 'entrance gate', 'reading room', 'enquiry desk', and 'fiction books'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as writing 'northest portion' instead of 'northeastern portion' and 'straight nortern part' instead of 'northern part'. Spelling and morphological inaccuracies like 'noticable' instead of 'noticeable' and 'childres' instead of 'children's' appear. To achieve a higher score, the writer must use a wider range of vocabulary with greater precision and avoid spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and basic past tense descriptions such as 'the entrance gate was in the south side' and 'there were few tables and chair'. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly missing articles ('in the left' instead of 'on the left'), incorrect prepositions ('in the south side' instead of 'on the southern side'), and subject-verb agreement issues like 'few tables and chair' instead of 'a few tables and chairs'. Complex structures are rarely attempted and are often faulty. To improve, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex sentence forms with better control over grammar and punctuation.

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.