Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-30
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 findings of the library users survey at a university with five different categories. While table shows the proportion of the user satisfaction.
Overall, It is clear that Full-time undergraduate recorded the highest share of users. Whereas they are very satisfied with the staff service. In contrast, academic staff was the lowest category user among all.
Undergraduate full-time library users experienced the largest share at 44 percentage. Followed by the full-time postgraduate which was almost half of the undergraduate users around 25%. Similarly, part-time postgraduate and distance learning users accounted for 16% and 8% respectively. Meanwhile, the library users of academic staff showed the lowest share of 7% only.
Furthermore, students were very satisfied with the staff at the library, stood at 95%, and least satisfied with availability of journals in the library at just 45%, and 20% of users were not satisfied with it. However, opening hours of library and supportive staff has 0% of not satisfied users.
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 data, including the categories of users and the satisfaction levels. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, integrated overview. While the percentages are reported, the comparison between the two data sets (the chart and the table) is not fully developed. For instance, the link between user categories and their specific satisfaction levels is missing, which would have provided a more insightful summary. The response addresses all parts of the prompt, but the reporting of data is occasionally repetitive and lacks a cohesive analytical focus.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as the use of 'Meanwhile' and 'Furthermore' to transition between disparate data points. The referencing is occasionally unclear; for example, in the second paragraph, the phrase 'Whereas they are very satisfied' is grammatically disconnected from the previous sentence. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the user categories from the satisfaction data, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be smoother to better connect the reported figures.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to report the data clearly. There are some attempts at using specific terminology like 'proportion' and 'accounted for', which is positive. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as '44 percentage' (should be '44 percent') and 'lowest category user' (should be 'smallest category of users'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more varied synonyms for 'share' or 'proportion' and improve collocations related to data reporting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Examples include 'While table shows' (missing article), 'Full-time undergraduate recorded' (missing plural), and 'opening hours of library and supportive staff has 0% of not satisfied users' (subject-verb agreement and awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is often repetitive. The student needs to focus on article usage, subject-verb agreement, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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