Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-18

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The charts below give information about a public library in a town called Little Chalfont.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The chart illustrates the information about the age of librarian members, total loans borrowed and the overall trend of loans from year 2007 to 2016.

The adults aged between 18 to 64 comprised of over half of the population which is 51%. In terms of category of loans, the adult's fiction and children's fiction which took loans accounted for 38% of each.

In contrast, the total percentage of the children age was 22%, the young adults of age 13 to 17 were 15 percent and the adults of age 65 and over were made up 12 percent.

Turning back to the loans borrowed category, adult's non fiction comprised of 13%. On the contrary, the children's DVD, young adults and the adults audio books combinally made up 5 %.

Moreover, the number loans taken in 2007 were very low equivalent to 16000. Furthermore, with the onset of years, the loans were substantially increased accounted for 20000 people on average. This trend went on pretty stable to year 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, including age demographics and loan categories. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the description of the loan trend is vague, stating it was 'pretty stable' without clearly highlighting the peak or the specific fluctuations between 2007 and 2016. While the key data points are present, the comparison between categories could be more analytical rather than just listing percentages. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview clearly synthesises the data rather than just reporting isolated figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Turning back to the loans borrowed category' and 'On the contrary'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transition between the demographic data and the loan trends could be smoother. Referencing is mostly clear, though the connection between the sentences in the final paragraph is a bit disjointed, making the overall flow feel slightly repetitive in structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are some awkward collocations, such as 'combinally made up' and 'the number loans taken'. The range of vocabulary is limited to basic descriptors like 'low', 'increased', and 'stable'. While the meaning is generally clear, the student relies on repetitive phrasing. To improve, the student should incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to data trends and proportions, such as 'fluctuated', 'accounted for a significant proportion', or 'remained relatively constant'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'comprised of over half' (should be 'comprised over half'), 'the children age' (should be 'the children's age'), and 'the loans were substantially increased' (should be 'loans increased substantially'). Additionally, the phrasing 'equivalent to 16000' is slightly unnatural in this context. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. More attention to verb forms and preposition usage is required.

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.