Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-14

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 Diagram illustrate the change that have taken place in the floor plan of the central library over a period of 20 years

Overall, the libarary has undergone significent change with serval new facility being introduced . The main purpose of the libarary has shifited towards providing more modern services and a comfortable environment for visitors.

Twenty years ago, the library had seprated section for adult fiction book adult non-fiction book and children books . there was also a section for CDs viedo and computer games in the top left corner . A reading roomfor news paper and the magazine was located in the bottom left corner in the central table and chair were provied for reader additionally an enquiry desk for tickets and book return was situated near the entrance on the right hand side

At present the libarary has a different layout . The children fiction section and storytelling area are located on the left side while adult fiction books are place on the right . The former reading room has been replace by a computer room and a lecture room has been added.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad change over time and include several relevant features, such as the former reading room becoming a computer room and the addition of a lecture room. However, the response only partially covers the plans: it omits notable current features including the café, information desk and self-service machines, and the removal of the central tables and chairs. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the old enquiry desk was at the bottom right, not “near the entrance,” and the current adult fiction area is on the right, but the former adult non-fiction and reference-book areas are not explained. The overview’s claim that the library now offers a “comfortable environment” is not clearly supported. Select the main conversions and describe their locations more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overall statement, and separate paragraphs for the earlier and current layouts. This makes the basic comparison easy to follow, and time markers such as “Twenty years ago” and “At present” help orient the reader. However, the old-layout paragraph packs many features into one long sentence, while the current-layout paragraph is much shorter and leaves several changes unconnected. Some linking is also awkward, particularly “additionally,” which joins details without clear punctuation or a smooth relationship. Use shorter, clearly punctuated sentences and organise the details by area or by major change—for example, explain what happened to the left and right sides, then describe the new facilities.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “floor plan,” “section,” “located,” “replaced,” and “added,” and you attempt to summarise the library’s changing function. However, spelling errors are frequent and noticeable, including “libarary,” “significent,” “seprated,” and “viedo.” There are also inaccurate forms and collocations, such as “new facility being introduced” and “adult fiction book,” which reduce precision. Some labels are paraphrased imprecisely: “children fiction section” should be expressed as “children’s fiction books,” and “central table and chair” does not clearly convey the former tables and chairs. Check spelling carefully and use accurate plural forms and map-specific terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a range of sentence forms, including a relative clause in “a section … which was located” and a contrast between past and present layouts. However, control is limited, and errors occur throughout. For example, “The Diagram illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the library had seprated section” lacks an article and uses an incorrect plural pattern. In “the former reading room has been replace,” the passive verb form is incorrect; “has been replaced” is needed. The long sentence describing the earlier plan also lacks clear sentence boundaries, making relationships between details difficult to follow. Practise accurate articles, plurals, agreement and passive forms, and divide long descriptions into complete sentences.

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