Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-07

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 two maps illustrate the changes in the layout of the Central Library over a period of 20 years. There are many changes in it.

Overall, the library has been significantly modernizes with the addition of new facilities such as a cafe, computer room, lecture room and a informative desk. Some sections be replaced by other locations. Entrance has remained in the same position.

Twenty years ago, there were two large tables with chairs in the centre of the Library. At the right corner of the Library, there was a Enquiry desk

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The opening identifies the topic and time period, and the overview correctly notes that the entrance stayed in the same position and that new facilities were added. You also accurately mention the former central tables and the enquiry desk. However, the response reports only a small fraction of the main changes: for example, it does not describe the replacement of the children’s-books room with a storytelling area, the new lecture room, or the changes to the book sections and service areas. The description also stops before making meaningful comparisons between the two plans. At 92 words, it is below the required 150, which leaves the task only minimally addressed. Develop the overview and cover the most important changes on both sides of the plan.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overall statement, and the start of a paragraph about the earlier plan. The sequence from general description to a specific past feature is understandable, and “Overall” signals the overview. However, the account ends abruptly after mentioning the enquiry desk, so there is no clear progression through the remaining features or a comparison with the current layout. The short, disconnected statements also make the response feel incomplete. Organise the details into a paragraph about the former plan and one about the current plan, using links such as “whereas” or “by contrast” to show how areas changed. A complete final paragraph would give the reader a coherent account of the maps.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “layout,” “addition,” “facilities,” “sections,” and “position.” These choices make the general topic clear, and “replaced” is useful for describing changes. The range is nevertheless limited because few specific locations or changes are named, and some word choices or forms are inaccurate: “a informative desk” is not the appropriate phrase, while “significantly modernizes” does not fit the intended description of the library’s transformation. Use precise labels from the plan, such as “information desk,” “reference books,” and “self-service machines,” and choose natural change-related phrases such as “has been modernised” or “has undergone substantial changes.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses straightforward sentence patterns, and several are understandable, such as “The two maps illustrate the changes…” and “Entrance has remained in the same position.” There is an attempt to use a present-perfect passive construction in the overview, but the verb form is faulty in “has been significantly modernizes.” Other errors include “Some sections be replaced,” which lacks a correctly formed verb, and “there was a Enquiry desk,” where the article does not agree with the following vowel sound. The range is narrow, with mostly simple statements and little comparison or subordination. Practise accurate past and present forms for map descriptions, then combine details using structures such as “while” and “whereas” to show change.

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