Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14
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 illustrates the percentage of different groups attending a university library, and the table depicts the proportion of different attributes that are statisfied in library.
Overall, there are five groups that normally use library. The full time undergraduates are the largest group of students that go to libarary, While academic staff were the group that came on last. On the other hand, the table demonstrates the proportion of satisfaction students have over the services provided at library with the helpfulness of staff stands on top.
The number of full time undergraduates have the greatest percentage at 44%, While the lowest number belongs to academic staff with 8%. The full time postgraduates, part time postgraduates and distance learning (all courses) have percentages at 25%, 16%,and 8% respectively.
The table depicts the proportion of services satisfaction for library users. For instance, the helpfulness of staff gets the most positive reviews and stands at 95% while, availability of journals was the major issue faced by users and their satisfactory level is at 45%. Furthermore, library opening hours, availability of books and reliability of wifi have satisfaction levels at 65%, 50%, and 48% respectively.
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 successfully addresses both parts of the visual data by summarising the pie chart and the table. The main features are identified, such as full-time undergraduates being the largest user group at 44% and academic staff being the smallest at 8%, as well as highlighting key satisfaction metrics like staff helpfulness at 95% and journal availability at 45%. Comparisons are made where relevant, and an overview is provided. However, the data selection occasionally lacks deeper synthesis, and there are minor inaccuracies in reporting precise details from the table. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task well, earning a solid band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall arrangement with a dedicated introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that separate the two visuals. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', and 'For instance', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is logical, grouping user categories together and satisfaction levels together. However, referencing can be a bit repetitive ('The table depicts...', 'The table depicts...'), and paragraph transitions could be smoother. Progression is maintained throughout, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'percentage', 'proportion', 'attributes', and 'satisfaction'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is accompanied by spelling errors such as 'statisfied' instead of 'satisfied' and 'libarary' instead of 'library'. Word choice is generally functional, but collocations occasionally falter, such as 'satisfaction levels at'. The lexical range is sufficient for the task, but errors in spelling and word form prevent it from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the response, such as incorrect capitalization after commas ('While', 'While'), missing articles ('use library' instead of 'use the library'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('The number of full time undergraduates have...'). Nevertheless, these errors do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear. This performance aligns closely with the Band 6.0 criteria for grammar.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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