Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-19
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 table and chart illustrate a community library located in a town named as Little Chalfont.
Overall, it is mentioned about the age groups of library members and a table is given providing information about total loans by category. Additionally, total number of loans is listed starting from year 2007 to 2016.
In 2016, the library was mostly visited by adults and children, whereas young adults and aged people are also numbered. Furthermore, Children's fiction was popular at that time as equal to adult fiction and both were loaned at the highest ratio. Adult non-fiction was not much famous as compared to the fiction. Children's DVDs were at the lowest percentage same as of adult audio books.
In contrast, total number of loans varied throughout the time period. In 2007, it was above 15,000 and no major rise and fall is listed between these years and the numbers remained between 15,0000 and 25,0000.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to cover all parts of the visual data by mentioning the age groups, loan categories, and the overall loan trend from 2007 to 2016. However, the selection of data lacks precision. For example, the overview paragraph states 'it is mentioned about the age groups', which is awkwardly expressed rather than summarising the main trends. Furthermore, the description of the loan numbers includes factual inaccuracies and typos, such as stating 'numbers remained between 15,0000 and 25,0000', which misreads the given scale (15,000 to 25,000). While the main features like the popularity of fiction categories are touched upon, the lack of precise data handling and imprecise overview keep this response at a Band 5.5 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, a body paragraph detailing the 2016 breakdown, and a final paragraph discussing the overall loan trends. Paragraphing is attempted appropriately. However, progression is sometimes hindered by mechanical and awkward transitions, such as 'In contrast, total number of loans varied throughout the time period.' Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in 'whereas young adults and aged people are also numbered'. Cohesive devices are used, but they lack flexibility and natural flow, leading to an overall Band 6 level for coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words related to data description such as 'illustrate', 'category', 'percentage', and 'ratio'. However, there are notable limitations and unnatural word choices throughout the text, such as 'Adult non-fiction was not much famous' (instead of 'popular') and 'aged people' (instead of 'older adults' or 'seniors'). Additionally, there are inaccurate lexical choices like 'at the highest ratio' instead of 'proportion'. These errors in word choice and collocation prevent the vocabulary score from reaching a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses and comparative structures, such as 'Children's fiction was popular at that time as equal to adult fiction and both were loaned at the highest ratio.' However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are errors in prepositions and passive structures, such as 'a community library located in a town named as Little Chalfont' and 'it is mentioned about'. Furthermore, typographical errors in numbers (e.g., '15,0000') affect punctuation/formatting. Errors are frequent enough to cause occasional strain for the reader, aligning with Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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