Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-16

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 4.0)

The diagram illustrates the floor plan of a public library 20 years ago and how it looks now.

overall, it is clear that the public library underwent a few changes. the CDs, videos, computer games, childrens books and most of the features were removed and replaced with other features. while adult fiction books remain unchanged.

20 years ago, the library had tables and chairs in the center, adult ficti

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the topic and gives a broad overview that the library changed, mentioning the removal of some facilities and the continued presence of adult fiction books. However, the account is extremely incomplete: it stops mid-sentence after “adult ficti” and gives no usable description of the current layout or most of the key changes, such as the new lecture room, café, computer room, information desk and self-service machines. The claim that adult fiction “remain[s] unchanged” is also inaccurate: it moves from the middle-left area to the middle-right. The response contains only 54 words, so it does not meet the 150-word minimum; 15 words copied from the task prompt were excluded from the count. Describe the main changes and compare both plans in complete, specific sentences.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence introduces the plans, followed by an overview and the start of a paragraph about the earlier layout. The linking word “while” also signals a comparison. However, the response ends abruptly in the middle of “adult ficti”, so there is no completed progression through the earlier plan or the present one. The overview groups several features together without explaining their relationships, and the lowercase start of “overall” weakens presentation. To improve, use a clear overview followed by logically ordered details—for example, describe the left side of both plans, then the right side—and finish each sentence and paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses relevant, understandable terms from the task, including “floor plan”, “tables and chairs”, and “adult fiction books”. “Underwent a few changes” is a suitable attempt to summarise the redevelopment. However, the vocabulary range is very limited because the response is so short, and several labels are merely listed rather than used to describe specific changes. “Most of the features were removed” is imprecise: many facilities were relocated or replaced, while some functions remained in altered positions. The unfinished phrase “adult ficti” also leaves the final point unclear. Use more precise change vocabulary such as “was converted into”, “was relocated to”, and “was replaced by”, and name the facilities accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response shows some control of basic sentence forms. For example, “The diagram illustrates the floor plan…” is a complete, clear sentence, and the overview attempts a more complex comparison using “while”. However, the range is narrow, and the final sentence is incomplete: “20 years ago, the library had tables and chairs in the center, adult ficti” has no completed second item or ending. There are also sentence-boundary and capitalisation issues: “overall” begins a new sentence but is lowercase, and the clause beginning “while” is not integrated into a complete sentence. Write complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check punctuation and capital letters when separating the introduction from the overview.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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