Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-11

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 6.5)

The map illustarates the structural changes made to the layout of a public library over a 20-year period.

Overall, the library has undergone substantial modernization and layout reconfiguration. While the main entrance and outer footprint remain unchanged, several traditional areas have been repurposed for contemporary digital services, community activities, and refreshments.

20 years ago, visitor entering through the main door were greeted by an enquiry desk directly opposited the entrance, flanked by tables and chairs in the central hall. To the left, there was a reading room, while the room for CDs, videos, and computer games was located in the top-left corner. The right side featured adult fiction and non-fiction books, and the top-right corner was reserved for children's books.

Today, the original structure has been modified considerably. The central tables and chairs have been removed, making space for self-service machines next to an information desk, which replaced the old enquiry desk. The previous reading room on the left side has been converted into a computer room. In the top-left corner, the former media room has been enlarged to accommodate children's area in the top-right corner is now a dedicated lecture room. Finally, the adult fiction section has expanded to include all reference books, and the former enquiry area on the left side of the entrance has been replaced by a cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response gives a clear overview of major changes, noting that the entrance and footprint remain the same and that the library has been modernised. It also reports several relevant conversions, including the reading room becoming a computer room and the former children’s-book area becoming a lecture room. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the old enquiry desk was at the bottom right, not directly opposite the entrance, and the current information desk and self-service machines occupy the former adult non-fiction area, rather than simply replacing the old desk in the central hall. The description of the top-left area is also confused: it became a children’s fiction and storytelling room, not an enlarged media room. More precise coverage of these changes would make the account more complete and firmly grounded in the plans.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs comparing the earlier and current layouts. This gives the reader a generally clear route through the information, and time markers such as “20 years ago” and “Today” help distinguish the plans. The sequence from the entrance to the sides and then the upper areas is also broadly logical. However, some references and transitions become difficult to follow, particularly “the former media room has been enlarged to accommodate children’s area in the top-right corner,” which combines two separate locations and changes. The final sentence also groups several changes together without clearly locating each one. Use shorter, location-based comparisons and ensure each pronoun or description has an unmistakable reference.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a library plan, including “structural changes,” “repurposed,” “central hall,” “converted,” and “dedicated lecture room.” These choices help convey the scale and purpose of the changes, and the meaning is generally understandable. Some wording is imprecise or collocationally awkward, however: “former media room has been enlarged to accommodate children’s area” does not accurately describe the new storytelling room, while “adult fiction section has expanded to include all reference books” misstates the layout, where reference books occupy a separate open section. There are also spelling errors such as “illustarates,” “opposited,” and “cafe.” Check spelling carefully and choose terms that describe the plan’s labels and locations precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the overview’s “While…” contrast and the passive constructions “has been modified” and “has been converted.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. In “visitor entering through the main door were greeted,” the subject needs a plural form or an article and matching verb; “directly opposited the entrance” also has an incorrect grammatical form. The final description, “has been enlarged to accommodate children’s area in the top-right corner is now…,” lacks a clear clause boundary and makes the relationship between the two locations hard to parse. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, especially when combining several map changes in one sentence.

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