Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-14

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 the results of a survey of library users at a university, pie chart describes the categories of library users while the table shows the percentage satisfaction of the users.

The highest percentage of user is occupied by the full time undergraduate students which is 44% while the lowest percentage in chart is occupied by the academic staff has 7%. The distance learning has 8% and in contrast part time postgraduate has double percentage of the distance learning and full time postgraduate has the second highest percentage which is 25%.

Most of the users of library in table is very satisfied with the willingness of staff and fairly satisfied with the availability of books. On the other hand, the lowest percentage of very satisfaction is by the availability of journals and fairly satisfied by the helpfulness of staff because 95% of the users are very satisfied from them while the portion has average percentage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, identifying the highest and lowest categories and mentioning satisfaction levels. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. The description of the table is particularly weak; it lacks a clear comparison of the data points and struggles to accurately interpret the satisfaction percentages. For instance, the phrase 'the portion has average percentage' is vague and fails to convey the actual data. To reach a higher band, you need to provide a more precise summary of the figures and ensure that comparisons are made more explicitly rather than just listing numbers.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure for a report. However, the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical. Phrases like 'in contrast' and 'on the other hand' are used, but the flow between sentences is often disjointed. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence where the connection between 'the portion' and the data is ambiguous. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one will help improve the overall flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic descriptors like 'highest percentage' and 'lowest percentage' repeatedly. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'very satisfaction' instead of 'high level of satisfaction' and 'occupied by' used in a slightly unnatural way. To improve, try to incorporate a wider range of synonyms and more sophisticated phrasing to describe trends and data points, and pay closer attention to word forms and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'the academic staff has 7%' should be 'the academic staff accounts for 7%'. There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement, such as 'Most of the users of library in table is'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles before nouns.

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

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