Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-25

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 8.5)

The pie chart and table provide a breakdown of the membership demographics and book loan patterns by category at the Little Chalfont Library in 2016.

Overall, the library membership was overwhelmingly dominated by working-age adults, while the lending figures reveal that fiction was by far the most sought-after genre among both children and adults. Conversely, digital media and young adult literature recorded the lowest numbers of loans.

In terms of user demographics, individuals aged 18 to 64 constituted the absolute majority, accounting for 51% of all library members. Children represented the second-largest demographic at 22%, followed closely by young adults (aged 13–17) at 15%. Senior citizens aged 65 and over made up the smallest segment of the membership at just 12%.

Regarding borrowing habits, adult fiction and children's fiction were equally popular, each comprising 38% of the total loans, meaning fiction combined accounted for over three-quarters of all library activity. For factual materials, adult non-fiction stood at 13%, more than double the borrowing rate of children's non-fiction (6%). In contrast, specialized formats and teenage literature were rarely checked out; young adult items accounted for a minimal 2%, while digital media like adult audiobooks and children's DVDs registered negligible shares of 2% and 1% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 9.0

The response fully satisfies the requirements of Task 1 by providing a well-structured and accurate summary of the provided visual data. You successfully highlighted key features, such as the dominance of working-age adults in the membership demographic and the high popularity of fiction across both children and adults. Furthermore, effective comparisons were made, such as contrasting the high borrowing rates of fiction with the minimal figures for digital media and young adult literature. All figures cited, such as the 51% for adults aged 18 to 64 and 38% for fiction loans, accurately reflect the source data. There are no inaccuracies or missing key trends, resulting in a fully developed overview and response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.5

Your response is exceptionally well-organized and easy to follow. You employ a clear and logical progression, beginning with an introductory overview paragraph, followed by a general summary statement, and then dividing the specific details into well-defined body paragraphs focusing separately on demographics and borrowing habits. Cohesive devices are used naturally and unobtrusively throughout the text, such as 'Conversely', 'In terms of user demographics', and 'Regarding borrowing habits'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct aspects of the charts, ensuring that the information flows smoothly from one point to the next without any mechanical or awkward transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 8.5

You demonstrate a wide and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response. Less common lexical items are used naturally and precisely, including phrases like 'overwhelmingly dominated', 'absolute majority', 'specialized formats', and 'negligible shares'. Word choice and collocations are handled skillfully, and there are no noticeable errors in spelling or word formation. Your ability to vary your vocabulary when describing statistical proportions—such as using 'constituted', 'represented', 'comprising', and 'registered'—contributes significantly to the sophistication of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.5

The response features a wide variety of complex sentence structures used with a high degree of flexibility and precision. You successfully integrated participial phrases, relative clauses, and multi-clause sentences, such as 'Senior citizens aged 65 and over made up the smallest segment of the membership at just 12%.' and 'For factual materials, adult non-fiction stood at 13%, more than double the borrowing rate of children's non-fiction (6%).' The majority of your sentences are completely error-free, with only rare, non-systematic slips. Punctuation and grammatical control are maintained at a very high level throughout the entire text.

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