Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-29
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 illustrates the percentage of library users and their satisfaction level.
Overall, Full-time undergradute had the largest figure followed by Fullt-ime postgraduate, which had the second highest share. While the libarary opening hours and helpfullness of the staff had the highest satisfaction level.
Full-time undergraduate consituted for 44% of the total, while Full-time postgraduate accounted for 25% compared with Part-time postgraduate whose porportion is only 16%. Academic staff and Distance learning have the lowest share accros all catgories of library users 7% and 8% respectively.
Library opening hours and Helpfulness of the staff had the largest satisfaction level which is 65% and 95% , while both catgories have the minimum proportion of fairly satisfied users 35%, 5% respectively. Availability of books and journals had the 50%, 45% satisfaction score followed by Reliability of wifi whose percentage level is 48% with 33% fairly satisfied and 19% are not satisfied. Similarly books and journals availability have 40%, 35 fairly statisfied score and 10%, 20% of users are unsatisfied.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features of both the chart and the table. You successfully highlight the largest and smallest categories of users and provide relevant data for satisfaction levels. However, the analysis is slightly mechanical, and the comparison of satisfaction data in the final paragraph is somewhat confusing due to the way the figures are presented. To reach a higher band, ensure that comparisons are more clearly linked to the specific categories rather than just listing percentages, which can make the data difficult to follow. Overall, the main trends are clearly identified.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'while', 'similarly', and 'followed by' to link ideas. However, the progression within the final paragraph is slightly disjointed. The transition between discussing satisfaction levels and the specific percentages for books and journals is a bit abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the list of percentages in the final paragraph, which requires the reader to work harder to match the figures to the categories. Improving the flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'constituted', 'accounted for', and 'proportion'. However, there are several spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'undergradute', 'Fullt-ime', 'libarary', 'helpfullness', 'accros', and 'catgories'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, the lack of precision in spelling and some awkward phrasing (e.g., 'percentage level is 48% with 33% fairly satisfied') limits the score. Focusing on proofreading for common spelling mistakes will help improve your score in this area.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'Full-time undergraduate consituted for' (should be 'constituted'), and issues with subject-verb agreement or preposition usage. For example, 'had the 50%, 45% satisfaction score' is grammatically awkward. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some inconsistencies in how data is presented. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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