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 below illustrates the survey results of the library users categories and satisfaction of them at a university.

Overall, the largest user categories consists of full-time undergraduates with the percentage of 44% and for full-time postgraduate, they were 25%.

Other than that, Part-time postgraduates were 25% as compared to distance learning and academic staff which were 8% and 7% respectively.

On the other hand, the satisfaction of library users % were based on three remarks which were very satisfied, fairly satisfied and lastly not satisfied.

The library opening hours were 65% very satisfied and 35% fairly satisfied and had no negative remark like not satisfied. Regarding the helpfulness of staff, satisfaction was the highest with 95% of usrs being very satisfied and only 5% fairly satisfied.

For books, 50% were very satisfied, 40% fairly satisfied and 105 not satisfied. For journals, 45% were very satisfied, 35% fairly satisfied and 20% not satisfied. This had the highest dissatisfaction. For wifi, 48% were very satified, 33% fairly satisfied and 19% not satisfied.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response successfully covers the main features of both the chart and the table. You present an overview of the categories of library users, identifying full-time undergraduates as the largest group at 44% and accurately reporting the figures for postgraduates, distance learning, and academic staff. You also report the satisfaction levels across different library services such as opening hours, staff helpfulness, books, journals, and wifi. However, there are minor data inaccuracies, such as writing "105 not satisfied" instead of "10%" for books. Additionally, while comparisons are made, the response would benefit from a more integrated overview of the relationship between user categories and satisfaction levels to reach a higher band. Overall, you have addressed the task adequately and selected relevant key information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text is generally coherent and shows a logical overall arrangement, dividing the response into an introduction, user categories, and satisfaction metrics. You use basic cohesive devices and transition signals such as 'Overall', 'Other than that', and 'On the other hand' to guide the reader through the data. However, paragraphing could be structured more effectively, as some paragraphs are a bit disjointed and list data mechanically rather than synthesizing it. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'for full-time postgraduate, they were 25%'. While the progression of ideas is fairly clear, these mechanical transitions and awkward groupings prevent the response from achieving a higher score for cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to surveys and statistics such as 'illustrates', 'percentage', 'category', and 'satisfaction'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but some word choices and phrasing are unnatural, such as 'library users categories and satisfaction of them' and 'remarks' instead of 'levels' or 'categories'. Furthermore, there is a typographical error with 'usrs' and a numerical typo '105' instead of '10%'. Despite these minor lexical errors and awkward collocations, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. Examples such as 'Other than that, Part-time postgraduates were 25% as compared to distance learning and academic staff which were 8% and 7% respectively' show attempts at complex structures. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout, such as 'the largest user categories consists' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'the satisfaction of library users % were based'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but prepositional errors and minor structural slips occur frequently. These errors do not impede overall communication, placing the grammar firmly in the band 6 category.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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