Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-31
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 pie chart illustrates proportion of different age members that visit library and table shows total loan carried by each category meanwhile the bar chart represents total amount of loan between 2007 and 2016.
Overall, it is clear that adult members of age 18-64 have the highest number in 2016. Furthermore, children's fiction and adult fiction had the most percentage in terms of total loan by category in same year. While, The amount of loan oscillated between 2007 and 2016.
In 2016 adults of age 18-64 occupied a large sum as library members up to 51 members after came children with 22 members. In contrast young adults of age 13-17 were recorded 15 members meanwhile adults 65 and over were lowest 12 members only. According to the table loan carried by children's fiction and adult fiction both carried same number 38%.Adult non fiction had 13% share on the other hand children's non fiction was recorded at 6%.Another category that had same proportion was young adults and adult audio books at 2%.Least was children's DVDs at 1%.
The table shows in 2007 total loan was at 16,000 after which it kept rising and reached 21,000 in 2011.Afterwards, it dipped a little then again peaked at 22,000 in 2016.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all three charts and identifies key features, such as the dominance of the 18-64 age group and the peak in library loans in 2016. However, the reporting of data is sometimes imprecise; for example, stating '51 members' when the chart likely refers to percentages or raw numbers without clear units. The comparison between categories is present but could be more analytical. The overview is functional but lacks a strong synthesis of the trends across the three different data sets. To improve, ensure that units are clearly stated and that comparisons highlight the most significant differences rather than just listing figures.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for the specific data. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast', 'Furthermore', and 'Meanwhile', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the membership demographics to the loan categories and finally the historical trend. However, the referencing is occasionally imprecise, and the flow between sentences could be smoother to better connect the related data points across the different charts.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe trends and categories effectively. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'oscillated' and 'proportion', which are used correctly. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'total loan carried by each category' (should be 'number of loans') and 'occupied a large sum' (which is not a standard collocation for membership numbers). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise terminology would elevate the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the pie chart illustrates proportion', 'the table shows total loan'), prepositions, and subject-verb agreement ('adults 65 and over were lowest 12 members'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are instances where sentence boundaries are unclear or awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Focusing on article usage and consistent verb tense will improve the accuracy significantly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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