Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29

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 6.5)

The charts illustrate information about little chalfont library, including the ages distribution of its members in 2016, the proportion of loans by category in the same year, the total number of loans made between 2007 and 2016.

Overall, adults aged 18-64 constituted by far the largest porportion of library members. Fiction was also clearly the most popular type of materials borrowed, with adults and children's fiction together accounting for more than three- quarters of all loans. Although the total numbers of loans fluctuated during the period, it increased overall and ended at around 20000 loans.

In terms of membership, adults aged 18-64 accounted for 51%, more than twice the porportion of children, at 22%. Young adults aged 13-17 represented 15%, while those aged 65 and over formed the smallest group, at 12%.

Looking at borrowing patterns, children's fiction and adult fiction were equally popular, each making up 38% of total loans. Adult non-fiction was the third most common catagory, at 13%, while children's non-fiction accounted for 6%. By contrast, young- adult books and adult audio books each represented just 2%, and children's DVDs were the least borrowed items, at only 1%.

The number of loans stood at approximately 15000 in 2007 and rose to around 18500 in 2008 and 2009. It then increased 20000 in 2010, reaching a peak of approximately 20500 in 2011. After this, the figure declined gradually to about 18500 in 2013, before recovering to roughly 19500 in 2014. Thus, despite some fluctations, the library experienced a moderate overall increase in borrowing over the 10 year period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task effectively, presenting a clear overview of the main features and trends across the three charts. The student successfully highlights the dominant age group (18–64) and borrowing categories (fiction), as well as the overall upward trajectory in loans from 2007 to 2016. Data is selected appropriately to support the descriptions, with accurate comparisons made between groups (e.g., membership proportions and category shares). While there are minor discrepancies in recalling exact figures from the chart (for instance, the 2011 peak is slightly misread compared to the actual data transcription), this does not detract from the overall quality of the task fulfillment and data representation. The student meets all requirements for a Band 7 performance under this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised, with a clear progression from an introduction to an overall summary, followed by body paragraphs detailing membership, borrowing categories, and temporal trends. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct aspects of the visual data. Cohesive devices are handled adequately, including transition signals like 'Although', 'In terms of', and 'By contrast'. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel slightly mechanical or formulaic. Overall, the essay maintains clear logical sequencing and readability throughout, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision when discussing statistical data. Less common lexical items and phrases such as 'constituted by far the largest proportion', 'borrowing patterns', and 'experienced a moderate overall increase' are used appropriately. There are minor lexical inaccuracies, such as spelling 'little chalfont library' with lowercase letters, writing 'ages distribution' instead of 'age distribution', and misspelling 'porportion' and 'catagory'. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is adequate to convey the intended meaning effectively, supporting a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

A good mix of simple and complex sentence structures is deployed throughout the response, including conditional and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Although the total numbers of loans fluctuated...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, demonstrating decent grammatical control. However, a few minor errors persist, such as subject-verb agreement or missing prepositions ('increased 20000 in 2010' and 'fluctations'). Punctuation and capitalization are occasionally flawed at the beginning of proper nouns. Despite these minor lapses, communication is never impeded, placing the response comfortably within the Band 7 range.

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