Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-24
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 diagrams provide of plans of central library of 20 years ago and today.
Overall, the plan of central library of 20 years ago was less moden as it contain table and chairs in the centre of library, there was CDs, videos, computor room and also had adults fiction and non-fiction books seprately both side which accuipy large area in library whereas today plan have sofa in children book corner and computer lab, only adult faction book and additinaly a cafe.
The plan of 20 years age, on northsouth corner had children books southwest corner had enquiry desk used of various purposes like tickets, book returns and etc. while oppsite to other side there was CDs, videos,camputer games and reading room as between these four portions there was adults fiction and non-fiction book and table and chairs in fornt of enterance which is cencre of library.
While in today plan, on the northsouth there are childrens books and on southwest there is addition a cafe and between there adult non- fiction book are removed, it only contain small quantity of adult fictions book only and in this are there is addition of information dest and modern self-service machines.while on northeast corner there are storytelling events and children fiction book and addition of sofa at coners on two corners only in one portion and eastwest corner there is computer lab between them there are all refrence books.Chairs and tables are removed from centre.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main change: the central tables and chairs have been removed, and the library now includes new facilities such as a café, computer room and self-service machines. You also compare several book areas and mention the former enquiry desk. However, the overview is unclear and includes inaccurate or confusing details: the current plan has a lecture room in the top-right, not children’s books, and the children’s fiction/storytelling area is top-left. You also describe adult non-fiction as removed, although the current plan labels the former area as all reference books. A more selective, accurate summary of the major changes, followed by clearly located details, would make the response more complete and developed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has an overall structure, with an opening overview followed by descriptions of the earlier and current plans. This gives the reader a basic sense of comparison. However, progression within the paragraphs is difficult to follow because locations and changes are sometimes combined in long, crowded sentences. For example, the final paragraph moves from the café to adult books, the information desk, storytelling, sofas and the computer room without a clear sequence. Directional phrases such as “northsouth,” “southwest” and “eastwest” are also unclear, making the layout hard to track. Organise each plan consistently from top to bottom or left to right, and use clear comparison links such as “whereas” and “by contrast” only where the relationship is precise.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You attempt a range of task-related vocabulary, including “enquiry desk,” “self-service machines,” “reference books” and “storytelling events.” These terms show awareness of the plan’s facilities. However, spelling and word-choice errors are frequent and sometimes make the description difficult to understand, as in “moden,” “computor,” “accuipy,” “faction” and “dest.” Some expressions are also imprecise, such as “northsouth corner” and “small quantity” for the book area. Use the labels from the diagram accurately and choose standard location phrases such as “top-left corner” or “in the central area.” Careful proofreading of spelling and word forms would make your vocabulary more effective.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, including comparisons using “whereas” and “while.” This shows some effort to vary sentence structure. However, the longer sentences are often difficult to follow because of errors in sentence boundaries, verb forms, agreement and articles. For example, “the plan … was less moden as it contain” shifts tense and has an agreement error, while “today plan have” also lacks correct agreement and article use. Several clauses are joined without clear punctuation, particularly in the final paragraph, so relationships between ideas become unclear. Build accuracy first with shorter, complete sentences, then combine related details using controlled clauses and consistent past-versus-present tense.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.