Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-12

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 demonstrates the outcome of a study of library users at a university.

Overall, a large proportion of library attendees are full-time undergraduates and least section is accounted for academic staff. Many people are satisfied with the helpfullness of staff whilst least are satisfied with the availability of journals.

The library is categorized with five types of different users. Full-time undergraduates and Full-time postgraduates accounted for largest proportion of users, 44% and 25% respectively. Similarly, 16% are part-time graduates and half of it are far learners while, academic staff comprises least proportion of the total library users.

The large number of library users are satisfied with helpfulness of of staff about 95% followed by when the library opens and the books that are available about 65% and 50% respectively. The least and fairly satisfied people aAvailability of journals

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main user group correctly: full-time undergraduates make up 44%, while academic staff are the smallest group at 7%. You also note that staff helpfulness receives the strongest satisfaction rating. However, the response only partly reports the table: it gives no figures for journal satisfaction or Wi-Fi, and the final sentence is unfinished, so these comparisons are unclear. The claim that journals receive the least satisfaction is not fully supported: journals have the highest dissatisfaction (20%), but Wi-Fi is close at 19%, while the lowest very-satisfied figure is for journals at 45%. The response is also 8 words below the required minimum. Include a complete overview and report the key contrasts across both visuals.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for user categories and satisfaction. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression becomes difficult in the final paragraph, which ends with the fragment “The least and fairly satisfied people aAvailability of journals” and does not complete its point. Some links are also awkward or unclear, such as “Similarly” before the part-time postgraduate figure and “half of it” when referring to distance learners. Use clear topic sentences and connect each comparison explicitly; finish the satisfaction paragraph with a complete summary of the remaining categories.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “satisfied,” and “availability,” which helps communicate the topic. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “least section” and “least proportion” are better expressed as “smallest group” or “lowest share,” while “far learners” does not accurately name distance-learning users. There are also spelling and typing problems, including “helpfullness,” “graduates” for postgraduate students, and “aAvailability.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning harder to follow. Aim for precise chart language and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including “Many people are satisfied with the helpfulness of staff whilst least are satisfied with the availability of journals.” However, errors occur in basic sentence construction and agreement: “The pie chart and table demonstrates” should use a plural verb, and “Full-time undergraduates and Full-time postgraduates accounted for largest proportion” needs an article before “largest.” The phrase “half of it are far learners” also has unclear reference and faulty agreement. The final sentence is incomplete, which prevents the reader from understanding the intended comparison. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete sentence structures, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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