Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-03

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 4.5)

The diagram shows the floor plan of public library. First diagram shows the floor plan of public library 20 years ago and second diagram shows how it looks now.

In first diagram, you enter to the entrance the front of shows tables and chairs and right side of entrance enquiry desk such as tickets, book returns, etc. The left side of entrance it was reading room people can reading newspapers and magazines. you walk straight forword after the tables and chairs the right side of children's books area and the left side of CDs, videos, computer games.

Today, the central library look like this. You enter to the entrance gate the right side of cafe and the left side of computer room. You walk straight forword stop at center the right sidde of information books, self-service machines and adult fiction books and the left side of all reference books area. The end of library the right side of corner was lecture room and the ;eft side of

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the two time periods and report several relevant changes, including the café and computer room near the entrance and the reference books and self-service machines in the central area. However, the response only minimally covers the plan: it gives no clear overview of the main transformation, omits important changes such as the storytelling area, lecture room and removal of the central tables and chairs, and ends mid-sentence while describing the far end. Some locations are also misreported: the old plan has children’s books on the right and CDs and games on the left as you walk in, whereas your description reverses them. Select the major changes, state them accurately, and complete the comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic time-based structure: it first describes the earlier plan and then introduces the current one with “Today”. Directional phrases such as “the left side” and “the right side” also help the reader follow the layout. However, there is no clear overview or well-developed progression from the entrance through the library, and several sentences combine multiple locations without clear relationships. The final sentence breaks off at “the left side of”, leaving the description incomplete. Use separate paragraphs for the two plans, organise each from the entrance towards the back, and use clear comparison links such as “whereas” or “in contrast” to connect the changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a small set of relevant location terms, including “entrance”, “reading room”, “self-service machines” and “adult fiction books”, so the basic subject is recognisable. However, vocabulary is repetitive and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “enter to the entrance”, “entrance gate” and “information books”. The repeated use of “right side” and “left side” also limits precision, while spelling errors such as “forword” and “sidde” reduce accuracy. Build a more varied set of map-description phrases, including “located”, “opposite”, “adjacent to” and “at the rear”, and use the labels from the plan accurately. This would make the description clearer without requiring more complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to describe locations using simple clauses and some longer sequences, for example, “You walk straight forword after the tables and chairs…”. However, grammatical control is weak: errors in articles, prepositions, sentence boundaries and verb forms occur frequently and sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. Examples include “the floor plan of public library”, “you enter to the entrance”, and “people can reading”; the sentence beginning “In first diagram” also shifts awkwardly between present and past forms. The final sentence is incomplete, and punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent. Practise accurate basic patterns such as “The entrance is at the front” and “On the left is a reading room”, then combine them with simple contrast clauses.

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