Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-15

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 central Library 20 years ago shows a complete and holistic map as it includes children's book area, computer games area with fiction and non fiction areasd segregated. Moreover, the reading room highlighting the newspaper and magazines section show how significant current affairs are. also a room dedicated for enquiry desk elaborates the importance of this step. On the other hand there is a map of central library today, which a event room, lecture room and computer room. This map indicates the self service machine for both returning and lending that makes sense as AI is very advanced today. Now after comparing these maps, it is evident that children's books andf overall book reading is declining as the inclusion of cafe in modern library does not help in any way but a separate room for children's books is more significant

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the two time periods and mentions several relevant features, including the reading room, enquiry desk, lecture room, computer room and café. However, it gives only a limited account of the actual changes and includes unsupported conclusions: the plan does not show that book reading is declining, that the café is unhelpful, or that self-service machines use AI or handle lending. Some details are also inaccurate or unclear, such as describing the children’s books as a separate area today without explaining that the former children’s-books room became a lecture room and children’s fiction/storytelling space. The response is 10 words below the required minimum. To improve, provide a clear overview of the main layout changes and accurately compare the key areas shown.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response by time, using “20 years ago,” “On the other hand” and “Now after comparing these maps.” This gives the reader some sense of comparison. However, the ideas are crowded into one paragraph and do not progress through a clear overview followed by organised details. The final sentence combines several claims, making the comparison difficult to follow, while “also” begins a sentence without a capital letter and the transition “On the other hand” does not clearly signal the relationship between the plans. Use separate paragraphs for an overview and the main changes, and group features by location or by what was replaced.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response attempts some topic-specific vocabulary, including “enquiry desk,” “current affairs,” “self service machine,” “lecture room” and “segregated.” These choices show an effort to describe library functions, and the general topic remains understandable. However, several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “complete and holistic map,” “children’s book area,” and “a room dedicated for enquiry desk.” “AI is very advanced today” is not supported by the diagram and does not help describe the plan. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “aread” and “andf.” Prefer precise labels from the plan and natural collocations, such as “the former reading room” or “self-service machines for borrowing and returning books,” only where the diagram supports that function.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts longer sentences with clauses linked by “as,” “Moreover” and “which,” but these structures are often faulty, and the range remains limited. For example, “On the other hand there is a map … which a event room” lacks a complete grammatical construction, while “the reading room … show” has a subject–verb agreement error. The opening sentence also has unclear agreement and structure, and “Now after comparing these maps, it is evident that…” leads into a sentence with several loosely connected ideas. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, including the lowercase “also” after a full stop. Build shorter, complete sentences first, checking articles, agreement and clause structure before adding complex links.

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