Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-29

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 compares The interior plan of a central library before twenty years ago and present .

Overall, The central library made changes regarding the floor plan where the new things were introduced to people like Self service machines, Story telling events, Lecture room, Cafe etc.,

In central library 20 years ago they are CdS, videos and also computer games to The students on the left corner facing in north west direction and a childrens books room to read the book in the right corner in north east and a enquiry desk in the right corner facing to the south east

and a reading room south west and tables and chairs were in middle of the library and also a place to both fiction and non fiction books which are opposite to each other.

The present library they made some changes by removing the old traditions and came with the new stuff like self service machines, all refernce books, sofas and a cafe. and remaining sections were unchanged .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad purpose of the diagrams and give an overview that the library has been reorganised, mentioning additions such as self-service machines, storytelling events, a lecture room and a café. You also report several accurate earlier locations, including the reading room and tables in the central area. However, the comparison is only partial: the claim that the “remaining sections were unchanged” is inaccurate, since the book areas were substantially rearranged. The response also omits important current features, such as the information desk and the relocation of adult fiction, and does not clearly explain what replaced the old enquiry desk or central seating. Select the main changes and describe them more precisely to develop the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph about the former layout and a final paragraph about the present library. This helps the reader distinguish the two time periods. However, progression within the paragraphs is weak, particularly in the long sentence beginning “In central library 20 years ago,” where several locations are joined together without clear sentence boundaries. The final paragraph is very brief and ends with the vague statement “remaining sections were unchanged,” which does not guide the reader through the comparison. Use shorter, clearly grouped sentences and organise details by area or by major change. More precise linking and referencing would make the comparison easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a library plan, including “floor plan,” “reading room,” “fiction and non fiction books,” and “self service machines.” These terms make the general subject clear. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or informal for an academic summary: “new stuff,” “old traditions,” and “made some changes” do not describe the layout specifically. There are also noticeable spelling and form errors, such as “refernce,” “childrens,” and “story telling.” Aim for accurate terms such as “facilities,” “reorganised,” and “children’s fiction section,” and use location language consistently to describe where features are situated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine information using longer sentences, but these are often difficult to control. For example, the sentence beginning “In central library 20 years ago they are…” runs through several features without a clear grammatical structure, and the final paragraph joins clauses with “and” in a way that obscures their relationships. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent: “they are” is used for the former layout, while “they made” does not clearly express the present arrangement. Capitalisation and punctuation are unreliable, as in “Overall, The central library…” and the extra spaces before full stops. Practise writing one or two accurate sentences per area, using past tense for the earlier plan and present tense for today.

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