Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-08

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 two diagrams show the floor proposal of a public library 20 years ago and its current form.

Overall, the library has a lot of differences before 20 years and now. Where the materials in the center of the library are demolished. All the places found in the library are transformed to other purposes. The shapes of the places in the three corners of the library are totally changed while the place in the right top corner of the library remained same.

The reading room which is left side of the entrance is replaced by computer room, while in the right side of the entrance the enquiry desk(tickets, book returns, etc.) is converted to cafe. The tables and chairs which were before 20 years ago are demolished in the current library. The place for adult fiction books is converted into all reference books, and replaced adult non-fiction books whereas

information desk and self-service machines are added to it.

CDs, videos computer games are turned into storytelling and children's fiction books where two sofa are added and the area increased in size. The children's books are also transformed to lecture room.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main purpose of the diagrams and report several important changes, including the replacement of the reading room by a computer room, the café replacing the enquiry desk, and the removal of the central tables and chairs. You also cover the changes to the book areas and the new facilities. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the adult fiction area becomes the reference-book area, while the adult non-fiction area becomes the adult fiction area; your wording about these changes is difficult to follow. The overview also overgeneralises when it says all places changed purpose, since the children’s-books room became a lecture room but remained in the same location. A more precise overview and clearer reporting of the main conversions would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by descriptions of changes near the entrance and then changes in the upper and middle areas. This gives the reader some overall organisation. However, progression is not consistently clear, particularly in the sentence “The place for adult fiction books is converted into all reference books, and replaced adult non-fiction books whereas information desk…” The relationships between the changes are hard to follow, and “whereas” does not connect the ideas appropriately. Several sentences also begin with repeated patterns such as “The … is replaced” or “The … are…”. Use separate, clearly ordered paragraphs for the overview and the detailed comparisons, and use reference words and linking expressions only where their relationships are clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a library plan, including “reading room”, “adult fiction books”, “self-service machines” and “storytelling”. These terms help communicate the main changes. However, several word choices and collocations are imprecise or unnatural, such as “floor proposal”, “materials … are demolished”, “places … are transformed to other purposes” and “remained same”. “Demolished” suggests that physical structures were destroyed, rather than that furniture or facilities were removed, and “converted to cafe” needs a more natural expression. Some repetition of “place” and “library” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise map-description verbs such as “replaced by”, “relocated”, “removed” and “converted into”, while checking articles and natural word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “The tables and chairs which were before 20 years ago…” and a contrast using “while”. However, some sentence structures are incomplete or difficult to control. “Where the materials in the center of the library are demolished” is a fragment, and “The place for adult fiction books is converted into all reference books, and replaced adult non-fiction books whereas…” lacks a clear grammatical relationship between its clauses. There are also errors in articles, agreement and tense, for example “two sofa are added” and “remained same”. These errors sometimes make the intended relationships unclear. Build accuracy by using complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check plural forms, articles and past-tense descriptions.

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