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 illustrates renovation plan before and after 20 years of a public library.

Overall, all parts of the strucuture changed except entrance over the period given. Built information desk , cafe and self service machines on the east side of map.Children room turned into lecture room, while entrance remained stable.

In the noethwest corner, cds, videos and computer games renovated into storytelling events & children fiction books by installed sofa for waiting and talking.On the north site, there was children books that converted into lecture room on the same location. information desk including self service machines and new cafe build on the north to east side.

Furthermore , Reading room [ newspaper & magazines ] changed by computer room .Adult fiction books turn by all refence books so students can find books easily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the new computer room, café, information desk and self-service machines, and note that the entrance stayed in the same place. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the children’s books room became a lecture room, while the former CDs/videos/games room became children’s fiction and storytelling space, so the statement that the children’s room “turned into lecture room” needs clearer identification. Some changes are omitted or unclear, including the removal of the central tables and chairs and the conversion of adult non-fiction into adult fiction. The response is also 16 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail you can provide. Develop a fuller, accurate comparison of the main areas to address the task more completely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an opening, an overview and a paragraph describing locations. You also use a few linking expressions, such as “Overall” and “Furthermore,” to signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is difficult to follow because several changes are compressed into long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the sentence beginning “In the noethwest corner” moves from the former media room to the new storytelling area and then to the lecture room without clearly separating the locations. The final paragraph also combines the reading-room and adult-fiction changes without a clear organising pattern. Group changes by side or by former and current use, and use clear sentence boundaries and references to make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a library plan, including “converted,” “remained,” “self service machines” and “information desk.” These choices show an attempt to describe changes rather than simply list labels. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, spelling and collocation errors make parts of the account unclear: “renovated into” is not a natural way to describe a room’s new use, and “build on the north to east side” is imprecise. There are also misspellings such as “strucuture,” “noethwest” and “refence.” Use precise map language such as “was replaced by,” “was relocated” or “in the north-east,” and check spelling carefully. This would make the descriptions more accurate and easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex structures, particularly the contrast in “Children room turned into lecture room, while entrance remained stable,” and the response is generally understandable. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence construction, articles, verb forms and punctuation. For example, “Built information desk, cafe and self service machines” is a fragment without a clear subject, while “Adult fiction books turn by all refence books” has an unclear verb pattern and tense. Missing articles in “the entrance” and “a computer room,” along with run-on punctuation such as “map.Children,” also affect accuracy. Practise complete past-tense sentences using patterns such as “The former X was replaced by Y,” and separate each comparison with appropriate punctuation.

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