Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17

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 representations depict data about a public library in a town named as Little Chalfont.

Overall, first chart indicates that most of the library members in year 2016 were of age 18-64 while age group having least number of members was adults 65 and over. Secondly, table showed total loans by category in the same year. It clearly indicated that children's fiction and adult fiction were on top the list with 38% and children's DVDs as the least with only 1%. Lastly, the total number of loan are displayed in the form of bar chart. It representated that starting loans at the start of 2007 were almost 16,000 and at the end of decade they were of significant growth reaching aproximately 22,000 loans.

To commence with, first chart indicated the age of library members in which adults with 18-64 age were in abundance. Also the adults over 65 were least. While the remaining were of moderate percentage. Furthermore, the other table depicted net amount of loans by category. In which the smallest number was of children' DVDs of 1% and the highest number recorded was adult fiction and children's fiction with 38%.

Moreover, the Bar chart at the end clearly indicated the net amount of loans in a decade starting from 2007. It can be seen that at the start almost 16,000 loans were credited while in the centre of this period the loans remained stable. Also, at the very end of duration the net amount of loans showed a considerably growth with almost 22,000 loans.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all three parts of the visual data (membership ages, loan categories, and loan trends over a decade), providing a clear overview and highlighting key features such as the dominance of the 18-64 age group and fiction books, along with the growth in total loans. However, the report suffers from excessive repetition. The body paragraphs essentially restate the information already summarized in the second paragraph without adding much further extension or precise comparative analysis. For instance, the data for 2007 is repeatedly cited as 'almost 16,000' and 2016 as 'almost 22,000'. This prevents the response from achieving higher band levels, placing it firmly in Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and separate body paragraphs addressing each chart. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'Secondly', 'Lastly', and 'To commence with'. However, some transitions feel mechanical and repetitive ('To commence with', 'Moreover'). Additionally, referencing is sometimes awkward, as seen in phrases like 'the other table depicted net amount of loans'. Paragraphing is present and generally appropriate, but the lack of progression between the overview and the body paragraphs keeps this criterion at a Band 6 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to charts and statistics, such as 'percentage', 'category', 'stable', and 'growth'. There are, however, several lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'in abundance' instead of 'constituted the largest proportion', 'net amount of loans' instead of 'total number of loans', and the spelling error 'aproximately'. Less common vocabulary is attempted ('significant growth', 'considerably growth'), but grammatical forms are sometimes misused (e.g., 'considerably growth' instead of 'considerable growth'). Overall, the lexical range is sufficient to communicate the main points but lacks precision and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses ('while age group having least number of members was adults 65 and over'). There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as missing articles ('at start of 2007', 'in centre of this period'), incorrect prepositions ('of age 18-64' instead of 'aged 18-64'), and word-form errors ('representated' instead of 'represented'). While these errors do not impede overall communication and the meaning remains clear, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 7.

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