Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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 provides the information about the floor plan of a public library 2 decades ago and compare how it looks now.

20 years ago, central library had CDs,videos and computer games in the west-north but it has changed completely and now , it has sofa in the both corners and there is also strorytelling events and childern's fiction books.

In the North-east , it had a childern's books section but at present, it is changed witha lecture room.Meanwhile, reading room who had newspapers and magazines , who established in the South-west while, Enquiry desk including tickets,book returns ,et cwas situated in the North-east and if we compare it with today's map, it has computer room and cafe there respectively. Additionally, entrance remained the same in both diagrams. There were few tables and chairs 20 years ago but now, it has been removed from the central part of the library, whilst, adult fiction books were replaced with all reference books and adult non-fiction books were changed with adult fiction books in today's central libarary with the information desk and three selt-service machines.

Overall, Entrance was the only thing that remained the same in both diagrams .Many of the things been chnaged over the period.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main purpose and report several important changes, including the unchanged entrance, removal of the central tables and chairs, and changes to the rooms on both sides. You also note the new information desk and self-service machines. These details show that the response addresses the task and gives a generally clear account of the transformation. However, some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: the enquiry desk was in the south-east, not the north-east, and the response’s phrase “it has computer room and cafe there respectively” makes the locations difficult to follow. The overview that “many of the things been changed” is relevant but broad. A more precise overview and clearer grouping of the major changes would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an identifiable sequence, moving from the former layout to the current one, and uses linking expressions such as “Meanwhile,” “Additionally,” and “Overall.” This gives the reader a basic sense of comparison. However, most information is packed into one long paragraph, so the progression between locations and changes is difficult to track. For example, the sentence beginning “Meanwhile, reading room…” moves from the south-west to the enquiry desk and then to two current rooms without clearly separating the comparisons. Some connectors are also used mechanically or awkwardly, and references such as “there” and “it” are not always clear. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and details, and organise the body by matching areas or by the left and right sides of the plan.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a floor plan, including “section,” “central part,” “remained the same,” and “replaced with,” and the reader can recognise most of the facilities being compared. However, spelling errors and imprecise word choices are noticeable, including “strorytelling,” “childern’s,” “libarary,” and “selt-service.” Some phrases are also unnatural or unclear, such as “in the west-north” and “it has sofa in the both corners.” Aim for accurate labels and standard directional language, such as “north-west,” “south-east,” and “was located.” Avoid vague wording like “changed completely” when you can name the specific change. More precise collocations would help you describe the plan clearly and reduce the effort required from the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including comparisons with “while” and “but,” and the main message is usually recoverable. However, errors in sentence construction and verb forms occur across the response. For example, “The diagram provides the information … and compare” does not maintain a consistent grammatical structure, while “Many of the things been chnaged” is missing an auxiliary verb. There are also problems with articles and agreement in “it has sofa” and “in the both corners,” as well as punctuation that makes long sentences difficult to parse. Practise building shorter, complete comparison sentences first, then combine them with accurate clauses: for example, “The former reading room became a computer room.” Check verb tense, articles, and sentence boundaries during revision.

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