Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-15
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 charts below give information about a public library in a town called Little Chalfont.
The charts present data on Little Chalfont Library in 2016, covering ages of library members, and loan trends from 2007 to 2016.
Overall, the largest proportion of the age group was adults with the second largest proportion of the members age being children, 51% and 22% respectively.
The most aged library members are adults, and total loans by category of children's fiction books.Between 2007 and 2016 the total loan numbers are upward and 2013 they slightly declined and reaching over 20,000 in 2016.
In 2016, the most popular books were children's fiction and adult fiction each accounting for 38%. In contrast, adult non fiction takes 13% and children's non-fiction, young adults and adult audio books are smaller shares 6%, 2%, 2% respectively and children's DVDs are the least borrowed at 1%.
In summary adults 18-64 are dominant, fiction are highly borrowed and loan numbers have gradually increased over 10 years period.
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 student addresses all parts of the visual data by reporting membership demographics, loan trends over the decade, and categories of loans in 2016. An overview is present at both the beginning and the end. Key features are highlighted, such as adults aged 18–64 comprising the largest age group (51%) and fiction books dominating loans (38% each for children's and adult fiction). However, some phrasing is slightly awkward or confusing, such as 'The most aged library members are adults, and total loans by category of children's fiction books.' Despite minor lapses in precision, the core trends and comparisons are successfully covered, fitting the band 6 descriptor well.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs covering membership, loan trends over time, and loan categories in 2016, and ending with an overall summary. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'In summary'. However, referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or somewhat abrupt, particularly between the second and third paragraphs where sentences like 'The most aged library members are adults, and total loans by category of children's fiction books' disrupt the smooth flow of information. Overall progression is apparent, but cohesion needs more flexibility.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'proportion', 'demographics', 'trend', 'fiction', and 'accounting for'. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'dominant' and 'gradually increased'. There are some awkward word choices and collocation slips, such as 'The most aged library members' instead of 'The oldest library members' or 'The largest age group', and 'adult non fiction takes 13%' instead of 'accounts for'. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Between 2007 and 2016 the total loan numbers are upward and 2013 they slightly declined and reaching over 20,000 in 2016.' There are noticeable grammatical inaccuracies, particularly missing prepositions or incorrect verb forms in clauses like 'and 2013 they slightly declined and reaching'. Punctuation is occasionally missing around introductory phrases or coordinate clauses. However, simple sentences are generally controlled, and the errors do not impede overall communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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