User-written IELTS example
Writing Academic Task 1 Band 4.0 Example
Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.
Illustrative target band for this original model answer.
Plan your answer
Try your own response before reading the samples.
Ideas to explore
- Highlight the main transformation: a central seating and table area in the earlier plan gives way to a layout with more specialised facilities.
- Compare how the east side changes from children's and adult non-fiction books plus an enquiry desk to a lecture room, an information desk, self-service machines and a café.
- Track the west side from media, adult fiction and a reading room to storytelling, children's fiction, reference books and a computer room; note that the entrance stays centrally located.
Suggested structure
- Introduce the two plans and give an overview of the most significant changes and any feature that remains.
- Describe the earlier layout, grouping rooms by side or by upper, middle and lower sections.
- Describe the current layout using the same spatial framework so the reader can compare positions.
- Finish with a concise summary of how the library's range of facilities has changed.
Useful vocabulary & examples
- occupy the upper-left corner
- be located in the top-left part of a floor plan
The media room occupied the upper-left corner of the library.
- be replaced by
- be removed and have something else put in its place
The central seating area was replaced by several new facilities.
- remain in the same position
- stay in the location shown in the earlier plan
The entrance remains in the same position at the centre of the lower wall.
- be located opposite
- be positioned across from another place or feature
The enquiry desk was located opposite the reading room.
Task Prompt

User Essay Analysis
Review the public answer with report-style highlights.
The picture below illustrates the floor plan of public library which demonstrates the information on the change of investor design happened between couple of decades. Overall, the upper left side block has been replaced to strong telling events, Childers’s fiction books and two sofa in a place of CDs, video’s, computers games whereas the right side has also changed, with a lecture room, adult fiction books, information desk, self-service machines and a café. The central tables and chairs have been removed, and the entrance remains at the bottom.
Twenty years ago, the library had CDs, videos and computer games in the upper-left corner, with adult fiction books below. On the lower left was a reading room for newspapers and magazines. Children’s books occupied the upper-right corner, while adult non-fiction books were underneath. An enquiry desk stood on the lower right, and tables and chairs were arranged in the middle.
Today, the former media area contains storytelling events and children’s fiction books, with two sofas nearby. The adult fiction section has moved to the right side, below a new lecture room. An information desk and self-service machines are also on this side, while a café replaces the enquiry desk. On the left, all reference books and a computer room have taken the place of the former reading room and adult fiction area. Thus, the layout now includes more services and activity spaces.
Targeted Improvement Tips
Related examples for this topic
Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.
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Band 8.0The graph illustrates the comparison of a public library 20 years ago and the present time. Overall, it is remarkable that this public library has gone through numerous major ch...
Band 7.0The two pictures compare the current layout of a public library with how it looked 20 years ago. It is evident that the changes involved the transformation functions of all sect...
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Band 5.0The diagrams show Central Library before and after changes were made to its layout. Clearly, the library has been updated to include dedicated spaces for events and now has an o...
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