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 breakdown of library users in five distinct groups, while the tables demonstrates the library users in five categories in term of different library services.
Overall, full time undergraduates account for the highest library users, while academic staff account for the smallest percentage across the five categories. The table depicts the proportion of user satisfaction level. The helpfulness of staff and library opening hours has the highest proportion of satisfaction. Meanwhile, availability of journals and reliability of wi-fi have the most dissatisfied users.
Full time undergraduates make up the largest proportion library users at 44%, while academic staff account for smallest share at 7%. Full time postgraduates stands in the middle with 25 % user population. However, both part time graduates and distance learning (all courses) have 16% and 8% respectively.
The table describes the customer satisfaction levels at the library with different services. For instance, the helpfulness and library opening hours recieve 95% and 65% satisfactory remarks and 5% and 35% fair satisfaction with 0% dissatisfaction. The availability of books stand in the middle with 50% satisfactory remarks. However the availability of journals and reliability of wi-fi have the lowest satisfaction level with 45% and 48% respectively on the other hand, the porportion of dis satisfaction account for 20% and 19% 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 student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main features of both the pie chart and the table, while making appropriate comparisons where relevant. An overview is provided right at the beginning, identifying that full-time undergraduates are the largest group of library users while academic staff represent the smallest. Key data points are reported accurately, such as full-time undergraduates making up 44% and academic staff accounting for 7%. Data from the table is also integrated, highlighting satisfaction levels for services like staff helpfulness and library opening hours. However, some minor inaccuracies in data reporting occur, such as stating 65% satisfactory remarks for opening hours when the chart indicates something slightly different, but overall the core message is conveyed effectively, satisfying the Band 6 descriptor well.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response features a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure. The introduction introduces the two visual aids, the second paragraph gives an overall summary, the third details the pie chart data, and the final paragraph discusses the table. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct parts of the input data. Cohesive devices are deployed adequately, such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', 'For instance', and 'However'. However, some referencing and transitional links feel slightly mechanical or are flawed by punctuation and spacing issues, such as 'on the other hand, the porportion of dis satisfaction account for' which breaks the flow. Progression is generally clear, placing the response solidly in Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to data reporting such as 'breakdown', 'proportion', 'satisfaction level', and 'reliability'. There are, however, several lexical and spelling errors that detract from precision, such as 'recieve' instead of 'receive', 'porportion' instead of 'proportion', and 'dis satisfaction' instead of 'dissatisfaction'. Collocations are sometimes slightly awkward, such as 'satisfactory remarks' instead of 'satisfaction ratings'. Despite these limitations, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main points clearly, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including comparative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'The pie chart illustrates the breakdown of library users in five distinct groups, while the tables demonstrates the library users...'). There are, however, several grammatical errors throughout the text. Subject-verb agreement issues are present, such as 'the tables demonstrates' and 'availability of books stand'. Punctuation and spacing errors also occur, such as extra spaces around percentages ('25 %') and missing commas before coordinating conjunctions. While these errors do not seriously impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 7.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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