Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The chart and table below show the results of a survey of library users at a university.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Categories of library users
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The pie chart and table illustrate information on the utilisation of the library among higher education students.
Overall, in the categories of library users, the full-time undergraduates got the highest proportion at 44%, whereas the lowest proportion was the academic staff at 7%. Moreover, the full-time postgraduate students had 25%, and the part-time students had a proportion of 16%. However, distance learning for all courses had only 8%.
A significant number of staff were helpful are very satisfied with a number of 95 students, 5 students only were fairly satisfied. For the opening hours of the library, 65 students were very satisfied, and 35 of them were fairly satisfied. On the other hand, the availability of books and journals got a similar number of students who were very and fairly satisfied; also, several students were not satisfied.
At least, it is observed that the reliability of wi-fi, had 48 very satisfied students, 33 were fairly satisfied, and 19 students were not satisfied.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main user group accurately: full-time undergraduates account for 44%, while academic staff are the smallest group at 7%. You also report several satisfaction figures correctly, including staff helpfulness and opening hours. However, the overview focuses mainly on user categories and does not clearly summarise the strongest overall satisfaction patterns. The comparison of books and journals is vague: “a similar number” does not show that book satisfaction is higher, while journal dissatisfaction is greater. The response also calls the figures “students” even though the table reports percentages of library users, which makes the data less precise. Select the key contrasts and describe them explicitly, including the high satisfaction with staff and the greater dissatisfaction with journals and wi-fi.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from the user categories to satisfaction results, and the opening overview helps orient the reader. However, progression within the second body paragraph is less controlled: staff helpfulness, opening hours, books and journals, and wi-fi are listed without a clear organising comparison. Connectors such as “Moreover,” “However,” and “On the other hand” are used, but some do not express a clear contrast, and “At least” does not work as a concluding transition here. The reference to “a similar number” is also unclear because it does not specify which satisfaction levels are being compared. Grouping the satisfaction results by strongest and weakest ratings, then using precise links such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile,” would make the sequence easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “availability,” “reliability,” and “satisfied,” and the main information remains understandable. However, some expressions are awkward or imprecise for describing survey data. “Utilisation of the library among higher education students” is less direct than describing the categories of users, and “got the highest proportion” is an informal collocation. Repeating “students” for the table figures also obscures that these are percentages, not counts of people. Phrases such as “a significant number of staff were helpful are very satisfied” show difficulty selecting precise wording. Aim for concise reporting language and use terms such as “accounted for,” “percentage,” and “respondents” consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, and several clauses communicate the figures clearly. However, errors in sentence construction and agreement recur. In “A significant number of staff were helpful are very satisfied,” the verbs and clause structure do not form a grammatical sentence. “The full-time undergraduates got the highest proportion” is understandable, but the subject and reporting verb are not well controlled; “the proportion of full-time undergraduates was highest” would be clearer. The sentence beginning “At least, it is observed that…” also has an unnecessary comma after “wi-fi” and an awkward clause structure. Practise building accurate comparison sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check punctuation around introductory phrases and clauses.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.