Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 the bar chart below illustrates some facts and figures about a public library in a small town called Little Chalfont.

The library members are divided into four main categories of children, young adults, adults and elderly people who have all taken loans from the library. In the year 2016 the Adults have taken the most amount of loans among the members with a combined total of 53% wheras childrens are behind by a total of 45% meanwhile young adults have only taken the least amount of loans in the year with just a total of 2%.

Moving on to the bar chart which demonstrates the amount of loans taken over the last 9 years reveals that 2007 was the only year which had the least amount of loans meanwhile the loans remained same in 2008 and 2009 whereas the graph varied from 2010 till 2015 and reached a maximum in 2016 with a total of approximately 22,000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the charts and report the broad pattern that adult members are the largest group and that loans peak in 2016. However, several key figures are misinterpreted: the 53% and 45% figures are not the shares of loans taken by adults and children; the membership chart gives age-group proportions, while the loan-category table shows adult fiction and children’s fiction each at 38%. The statement that young adults took only 2% also confuses the 15% membership figure with the 2% loan-category figure. The overview is therefore unreliable, and the response omits important comparisons from the category table and the overall loan trend. To improve, distinguish the three datasets and select accurate headline features before adding details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic sequence: an introduction, a paragraph about the 2016 information, and a final paragraph about loans over time. Linking phrases such as “Moving on” and “whereas” help signal the shift between points, so the reader can follow the general direction. However, the first data paragraph combines membership and loan-category information without making the distinction clear, which weakens the progression of ideas. The final sentence also packs several years and trends into one long statement. Use separate, focused paragraphs for membership, loan categories, and the time series, and connect comparisons precisely rather than relying on repeated “whereas” and “meanwhile.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic vocabulary, including “categories,” “combined total,” “varied,” and “maximum,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, some word choices are imprecise for describing charts: “taken loans” is repeated, “amount of loans” is not a natural collocation, and “the graph varied” does not clearly describe the changes in the figures. “Elderly people” is also less suitable than the chart’s neutral age-group label. Spelling errors such as “wheras” and “childrens” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise reporting language and check spelling, using terms such as “accounted for,” “loan volume,” and “fluctuated” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “members … who have all taken loans” and a longer sentence describing the trend. The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. In the opening, the compound subject “The pie chart and the bar chart” requires “illustrate,” not “illustrates.” The phrase “the Adults have taken” uses an unnecessary capital and an awkward present perfect for a completed year; “adults accounted for” would fit better. The final sentence also has an unclear structure around “reveals that 2007 was the only year which had the least amount.” Improve agreement, tense choice, and sentence boundaries, especially when reporting several comparisons.

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