Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-03

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 shows the change in loan amount for several years in Little Chalfont library.

Overall, there is no continuous change in the number of loans but the Fiction category leads the chart.

The pie chart shows that the adults who are above sixty-five years of age were the least likely to visit compared to young adults and adults between eighteen to sixty-four years of age. Adults between eighteen to sixty-four years of age led with the numbers to be visited in the library. The loans are divided in different categories like Fiction, with the highest number of loan amount i.e thirty-eight; the non-fiction and audio books i.e around two to thirteen percent , and DVDs with only one percent of loans.

The bar chart is moving inconsistently, it increased after 2007 for the next four years continuously, but then decreased in 2013, and then again started to increase from 2014 to 2016

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, but the analysis is somewhat superficial. You identify the Fiction category as the highest and note the age demographics, but the description of the bar chart is vague. For instance, stating the chart is 'moving inconsistently' is not an analytical description of the data trends. You need to provide more specific data points (e.g., the peak year or the starting/ending values) to support your summary. The comparison between the age groups is clear, but the overall report lacks the depth required for a higher band, as it fails to synthesize the information effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into three short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Overall' and 'The pie chart shows', but the transition between the pie chart data and the bar chart data is abrupt. The internal structure of the paragraphs is slightly disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where you jump between age demographics and loan categories without clear signposting. Improving the use of linking words to show contrast or addition would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety expected at higher levels. You rely on simple phrasing such as 'change in loan amount' and 'numbers to be visited'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'numbers to be visited in the library', which is not natural English. To improve, focus on using more academic terminology related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'accounted for', or 'proportion', rather than repeating basic verbs like 'increased' or 'decreased'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'the numbers to be visited' is grammatically incorrect in this context, and 'the loans are divided in different categories' should be 'divided into'. Additionally, there are punctuation errors, such as the use of 'i.e' followed by a space and a comma, which is non-standard. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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