Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-06

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)

The diagrams illustrate the floor plan of a public library and how it look after 20 years.

Central library 20 years ago, when people entre the centre library, table and chairs in hall, reading room where newspaper and magazines are stored, left side of the entrance.The right side of the entrance enquiry room are situated where tickets, book returns are sale and stored.

Left side, adult fiction books and right side adult non-fiction books are situated. The cds, videos, computer games and last things, children books, thats all things in central library 20 years ago.

Now, the central library today, when enter the central libray today, first thing computer room and cafe are added, all refrence books, the one side of the central library are stored, adults fiction books or information desk and self-service machines. The one side of the central library, children fiction books are situated, sofa and story telling events are arrenged. The one last things in the central library, lecture room where teachers are giving lectures to the students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe the changes shown in the floor plan of the public library over a 20-year period. However, the task is addressed only partially. While the student mentions several features from both maps, such as the reading room and the newly added café, the overall selection of information is incomplete and lacks a clear overview. Key features are listed rather than reported comparatively, and some details are vague or imprecise, such as 'that's all things in central library'. To move to a higher band, the response needs to present a well-developed overview of the main trends and transformations, and report the spatial changes in a more structured, cohesive manner rather than simply listing room names.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation in the response, dividing the text into paragraphs for the past and present layouts, but there is no clear overall progression or logical flow. The use of cohesive devices is inadequate and repetitive, relying heavily on transitional phrases like 'Left side' and 'The one side of the central library' without establishing clear connections between ideas. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within paragraphs is faulty, making it difficult for the reader to follow the spatial relationships on the floor plans. To improve, the student should use a wider variety of cohesive markers and ensure that sentences are linked logically to guide the reader smoothly through the comparative data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student relies on basic terms such as 'room', 'books', and 'tables', and repeats phrases like 'the one side of the central library'. There are noticeable lexical inadequacies and word form errors, such as 'refrence', 'entre', and 'arrenged', which reflect a restricted control of spelling and word formation. Although communication is not entirely blocked, the range is insufficient to demonstrate flexibility or precision. To achieve a higher score, the writer must incorporate a broader range of vocabulary specific to describing maps and changes, such as 'relocated', 'converted', 'extended', and 'replaced'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, consisting mostly of simple and fragmented clauses. Attempts at complex sentences are faulty and lack proper grammatical control, as seen in 'when people entre the centre library, table and chairs in hall' and 'when enter the central libray today, first thing computer room and cafe are added'. Frequent errors in verb tenses, prepositions, subject-verb agreement, and article usage are present throughout the text. Punctuation is also inconsistently applied. To improve, the student needs to focus on constructing complete, grammatically sound sentences with accurate tense consistency when describing past and present states.

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.