Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-05
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 bar chart compares the total number of loans between 2007 and 2016, and pie chart shows the age of people who visited Little Chalfont Library.
Overall, the debt on Library rose over the given period of 2007 to 2016 and category which had highest percentage of loan was Children's fiction and Adult fiction, respectively. Adults had the most proportion in term of age of library members.
In 2007, the number of loans was just over 15,000 that grew steadily until 2011. After 2011, the total number of debt on Little Chalfont Library slightly fell before reaching a peak about 22,000 in 2016.
In term of age of library member; Adults has the most proportion about 51% while other, like: children, young adults and adults of 65 and over combined has 50% of total percentage. Children's fiction and adult fiction has highest percentage of loan in term of different categories; however, other categories has moderately low percentage from the total amount of loan by cat
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts, including the trend in loans and the age demographics. However, there are significant inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, you describe the total number of loans as 'debt', which is a misuse of terminology. Additionally, your summary of the age demographics is mathematically confusing, stating that 'other' categories combined with children and young adults make up 50%, which is unclear. The comparison of book categories is also incomplete and lacks precision. To improve, ensure you accurately identify the data labels and provide a more coherent summary of the key trends rather than listing isolated figures.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the phrase 'In term of age of library member' is used repeatedly and incorrectly. The transition between the description of the bar chart and the pie chart is abrupt. While there is an attempt to use linking words like 'however', the overall flow is hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of sophisticated referencing. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear logical progression between sentences would enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is limited and contains several errors that impede clarity. The most significant issue is the use of the word 'debt' to refer to 'loans', which is a fundamental misunderstanding of the data. Other issues include 'most proportion' instead of 'largest proportion' and 'in term of' instead of 'in terms of'. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'percentage' and 'categories', the frequent misuse of basic terms and collocations limits the score. You should focus on learning the correct terminology for describing charts and improving your grasp of common collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Subject-verb agreement is inconsistent, such as 'Adults has the most proportion' and 'other categories has moderately low percentage'. Punctuation is also problematic, particularly the misuse of semicolons and colons in the final paragraph. While the meaning is generally understandable, these recurring errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct punctuation will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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