Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-08
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 proportion of each categories that visit library. While the table represents library experience on a scale of three.
Overall, it is clear that full time undergraduates had the highest percentage; In contrast, academic staff represented lowest ratio. The library opening hours and helpfulness of staff were only that gained zero not satisfied percentage.
The category of library users was dominated by full time undergraduates at 44% also full time postgraduates which were recorded at 25%. Meanwhile, part time postgraduates came next at 16%. The lowest proportion was observed for distance learning and academic staff at 8% and 7% respectively.
Individual satisfaction was observed highest very satisfied 95% for helpfulness of staff and only 5 remaining went to fairly satisfied; conversely, most people were not satisfied by availability of journals their ratio was 20%. The maximum that fairly satisfied section got was 40 on availability of books.
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
You have successfully identified the main features of both the chart and the table. You provided a clear overview and supported your points with data from the prompt. However, there are some inaccuracies in your reporting. For instance, you stated that 'library opening hours and helpfulness of staff were only that gained zero not satisfied percentage', but the table shows that 'availability of books' also had a zero percentage for 'not satisfied'. Additionally, your description of the satisfaction data is slightly confusing, particularly the phrasing 'the maximum that fairly satisfied section got was 40 on availability of books'. More precise data selection and clearer comparisons would improve your score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'meanwhile', 'in contrast', and 'conversely' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For example, the sentence 'The category of library users was dominated by full time undergraduates at 44% also full time postgraduates which were recorded at 25%' lacks a proper conjunction or punctuation to connect the two groups smoothly. Improving the variety and accuracy of your cohesive devices will help the text flow more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'proportion', 'dominated', and 'respectively'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations. For example, 'proportion of each categories' should be 'proportion of each category', and 'represented lowest ratio' is not standard usage. The phrase 'only that gained zero not satisfied percentage' is also quite clunky. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that your word choices are grammatically and contextually appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally affect readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'each categories'), missing articles (e.g., 'represented lowest ratio'), and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'Individual satisfaction was observed highest very satisfied 95%'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly regarding pluralization, article usage, and the correct placement of adjectives and adverbs.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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