Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-26

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 three charts given below, a bar graph, pie chart and a table, illustrate the data of a public library named as Chalfont. The table and the bar chart present the figures of loans and the segments.

The pie chart presents the age range of the library consumers, the highest proportion presented by adults of 18 to 64 years old that contributes more than half of the total 51%, while the adults over 65 accounted for the lowest share of 12%. The second largest figure of 22% is formed by children. However, young adults within the age bracket of 13 to 17 accounting for a mere 15%.

Moreover, the loan classification is divided into seven different segments, although fiction books either children's or adults contains the highest percentage meanwhile the lowest number is for children's DVDs which is 1%. Similarly, young and adult audio books remained the least choices for loan by 2%. While children's non fiction presents 6% and adults non fiction shows slight increase of 13%.

The loan figure fluctuated throughout the period from 2007 to 2016. In 2007 the loan number was at 16000 that rose to 19000 by 2008. Following that a steady increase of 19500 held in 2009. A slight rise can be seen between 2010 and 2011 which declined in 2013. Loan number went to 22000 in 2026.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student covers all three visual components presented in the prompt, successfully identifying the pie chart, table, and line graph. Key features such as the dominant age groups in the pie chart (adults aged 18 to 64 at 51%) and the primary loan categories (fiction at 38%) are accurately reported. Comparisons are made, particularly in highlighting the extremes like children's DVDs at 1%. However, there are some inaccuracies or implausible figures reported in the trend section, such as stating the loan number went to '22000 in 2026' (a typo or misreading of the 2016 endpoint) and minor inconsistencies in numerical transcription from the line graph. Nevertheless, the main trends and overviews are adequately presented, meeting the requirements of an overall summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is structured into distinct paragraphs, starting with an introductory overview, moving into the demographic breakdown and loan categories, and concluding with the multi-year trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Similarly', and 'While' are used to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('The pie chart presents...', 'Moreover, the loan classification...'). Paragraphing is appropriately handled, separating distinct types of data (demographics vs. loans vs. historical trends). However, progression within the final paragraph becomes a bit disjointed due to isolated data points and abrupt transitions, which prevents it from achieving a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, using terms such as 'proportion', 'highest share', 'segment', and 'fluctuated'. There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is sometimes marred by awkward word choices or collocations, such as 'library consumers' instead of 'members' or 'patrons', and 'least choices for loan' instead of 'least popular categories'. Spelling is generally accurate, but minor lexical imprecisions ('non fiction' missing a hyphen, 'contains' instead of 'account for') occasionally surface. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but lacks the precision and natural flexibility expected at Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures (e.g., 'the highest proportion presented by adults of 18 to 64 years old that contributes more than half'). However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as missing verbs ('accounting for a mere 15%'), incorrect prepositions ('for loan'), and tense/year confusion ('2026' instead of '2016'). While punctuation is generally acceptable and the errors do not severely impede overall comprehension, the frequency of structural slips prevents the response from reaching a Band 7.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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