Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Central library twenty years ago had two circular tables and eight spherical chairs surrounding each table which are illustrated using two large circle and eight tiny circles. Main hall was being dividen into 2 sections: adult fiction book and adult non-fiction book. Total of 4 various types of rooms are shown by rectangles. There is a room for CDs, videos and computer in the north right. In the opposite of it, readig room for reading newspapers and magazines is shown. There's a room with circular edge in the right-hand side of entrance for enquiry desk. By looking forward, children's books room can be seen.

Nowadays' central library is developed more. It contains total of 4 available rooms including lecture room, cafe, computer room and children's fiction book. To increase children's interests for book, story telling events normally occur in this room. To maximise comfort, two sofas are added. Tables and chairs are removed to make more distance available for moving through library. Adult fiction books, information desk, and self-service machines illustrated by 3 rectangles are located between lecture room and cafe. Self-service machines are added to allow faster service and make more time for readig book. All reference books are in between other 2 rooms. Now, all rooms are rectangularly shaped and rooms' uses are changed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important changes, including the removal of the central tables, the addition of a lecture room, café and computer room, and the new children’s storytelling area. However, the response only partially covers the plan and includes factual inaccuracies: the CDs, videos and computer games room was in the top-left, not the “north right,” and the children’s books room was top-right, not simply described as appearing “by looking forward.” The claim that all rooms are now rectangular is also unsupported; the earlier enquiry desk had a curved boundary, and the plans show open sections as well as enclosed rooms. Some commentary about why facilities were added is speculative. A clearer overview of the main reorganisation, followed by accurate comparisons of the key areas, would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic chronological structure, moving from the earlier plan to the current one, and the two paragraphs help distinguish the periods. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, progression within each paragraph is sometimes difficult to follow: the first paragraph moves from tables to room counts, then to locations, and ends with the children’s room without a clear organising principle. Linking phrases such as “By looking forward” and “To maximise comfort” do not clearly signal comparisons or spatial relationships. Some references, including “it” and “other 2 rooms,” are also unclear. Grouping information by comparable zones—left, centre and right—or by major changes would create a more logical sequence and make connections between features easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a library plan, including “circular tables,” “adult fiction,” “enquiry desk,” “self-service machines” and “lecture room.” These terms show an attempt to report specific features rather than relying entirely on general language. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “spherical chairs,” “north right,” “more distance available for moving,” and “rooms are rectangularly shaped.” “Readig” is misspelled twice, and “story telling” is better written as “storytelling.” Some wording also introduces unsupported interpretation, for example “to allow faster service.” Use precise location language and standard map-description phrases such as “in the north-west corner,” “open-plan area,” and “was converted into” to improve clarity and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including clauses beginning “To increase…” and “To maximise…,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in verb forms and sentence construction: “Main hall was being dividen” should be “The main hall was divided,” while “Nowadays’ central library is developed more” needs a more natural tense and structure, such as “The library has been further developed.” Articles and plurals are also unreliable, as in “two large circle,” “a room for CDs,” and “children’s interests for book.” Some sentences are fragments or awkwardly joined, including “In the opposite of it…” and “By looking forward…”. These errors sometimes make relationships between features difficult to understand. Practise accurate past-versus-present descriptions and build complete sentences around clear subjects and verbs.

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