Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05

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 pie chart and table give information related to the number of people visiting a public library in Little Chalfont and the type of books rented in the year 2016. Additionally, a bar chart represents the total number of loans made from the library between the year 2007 and 2016.

Overall, the library consists mostly of adults, especially those aged 18-64, however, the most popular category was the fictional category both in the children's and adult sections. Borrowing increased gradually over the years.

More than half of the visitors to the library were aged 18-64

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response is significantly under the minimum word count of 150 words, stopping abruptly at only 95 words. Because of this severe length shortage, the task is addressed only partially, and key features of the visual data cannot be fully covered. While you correctly identify the main charts and provide a brief overview mentioning that adults aged 18-64 form the largest age group and fiction is the most popular loan category, the lack of development means the trends over the ten-year period from 2007 to 2016 are left incomplete and unsupported by adequate detail. To improve, you must write a full response of at least 150 words and ensure all three charts are thoroughly summarized with specific data points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

Your writing demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introductory sentence and an overview. However, because the text is unfinished, logical progression is disrupted and paragraphing is severely limited. Cohesive devices are used in a basic way, such as 'Additionally' and 'however', but referencing and linking across ideas are underdeveloped due to the premature ending. To reach a higher level, you need to structure your response into distinct, well-developed body paragraphs that logically group the data from the different charts and use a wider range of cohesive devices smoothly without mechanical repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common words and accurate domain-specific terminology such as 'public library', 'loan category', and 'frictional category'. Word choice is generally appropriate and communication is not impeded by lexical errors. However, because the vocabulary is limited by the short length of the text, you do not showcase the full flexibility and precision expected at higher bands. To improve, incorporate more sophisticated paraphrasing, precise statistical verbs, and a wider variety of less common lexical items related to data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

Your grammar and sentence structure show a solid foundation, successfully employing a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The pie chart and table give information related to...' and subordinate clauses like 'especially those aged 18-64, however...'. There are some minor punctuation omissions at the end of sentences, but your grammatical structures are largely accurate and do not impede communication, showing partial elements of higher-band control. To achieve a higher score, you should expand the range of complex structures you use while maintaining strict accuracy and ensuring all sentences are fully completed with correct punctuation.

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

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