Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-05
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)
This chart illustrates the result of survey of library users at a university.
Overall, there are categories of library users such as Academic staff, Distance learning(all courses), Part-time postgraduate, Full-time postgraduate and Full-time undergraduate. The highest users of library are Full-time undergraduate students with 44%. However, 25% of Fulll-time postgraduate users used library for study. Around 16% of part-time postgraduate visit library at a university. The lowest users rate of using library is Distance learning with only 8% and Academic staff with 7% of users.
On the other hand, table illustrates the number of library user satisfaction. Overall, there are three categories. Firstly is very satisfied. Around 95% Helpfulness of staff is very satisfied with this library. This is highest range of percentage. The lowest range is 45% of Availability of journals. Second category is fairly satisfied. In this 40% are satified with Availabilty of books and least is with 5 percent of helpfulness of staff.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart and table, identifying the highest and lowest categories. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, in the table section, the description of satisfaction levels is confusingly phrased, such as '95% Helpfulness of staff is very satisfied'. This misinterprets the data, as it should state that 95% of users are very satisfied with the helpfulness of staff. Furthermore, the comparison between categories is limited, and the overview lacks a clear synthesis of the data trends. To improve, ensure that the data is accurately linked to the correct categories and provide a more cohesive summary of the key findings.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into two distinct paragraphs, which is appropriate for the task. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate. Phrases like 'Firstly is very satisfied' and 'Second category is fairly satisfied' are awkward and do not effectively guide the reader through the data. The progression of ideas within the second paragraph is also disjointed, making it difficult to follow the comparison between the different satisfaction metrics. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words (e.g., 'in contrast', 'regarding', 'furthermore') would significantly enhance the flow and logical progression of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'lowest users rate of using library' and 'number of library user satisfaction'. The student relies on basic terminology and struggles with collocations related to data reporting. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or varied vocabulary limits the score. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding repetitive sentence structures when describing percentages and trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'This chart illustrates the result of survey' (missing article), 'The highest users of library are' (incorrect noun usage), and 'In this 40% are satified with Availabilty' (spelling and preposition errors). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of parentheses and commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. Focusing on subject-verb agreement, article usage, and proofreading for basic spelling errors would improve the overall accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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