Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 results of a survey of library users at a university while the table provides the rate of satisfaction of library users. Library users are defined as those who visit the library.

Overall data of full time undergraduate constitute majority and minority data of academic staff. With regard to the acceptance level, helpfulness of staff showed the most positive ratings in addition to this, availability of journals recorded the highest number of dissatisfaction.

According to the pie chart, the full-time undergraduates account for the largest population at 44% whereas, full-time postgraduates consist of 25%, which is also a good percentage. Although the rate of part-time graduates was slightly low at 16%, the percentage of online learning and academic staff represent 8% and 7% respectively.

As for the second table, 65% of people are satisfied with the opening time, 35% are fairly satisfied and none are not satisfied. In terms of helpfulness of staff, almost everyone is satisfied and 5% are not happy and no one showed dissatisfaction. On the other hand, the satisfaction level of availability of books, journals and reliability of wifi has a proportion between 48 and 50%. While, the moderate acceptance level has a variance between 33 and 40%. Though, the result of dissatisfaction showed 10, 20, 19% individually.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features from both the pie chart and the table. An overview is attempted at the beginning, noting that full-time undergraduates constitute the majority and academic staff the minority, alongside general satisfaction trends. Data is accurately reported, such as full-time undergraduates at 44% and library opening hours satisfaction at 65%. However, some comparisons are slightly imprecise, such as stating that 'availability of journals recorded the highest number of dissatisfaction' (20%), while overlooking that reliability of wi-fi (19%) is very close. Additionally, the description of the table's satisfaction categories lacks a fully cohesive comparative overview across all surveyed areas. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of Task Achievement adequately, though the depth of comparison could be further extended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged logically with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, a body paragraph dedicated to the pie chart, and a final body paragraph for the table. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'whereas', 'although', 'on the other hand', and 'in terms of'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, and referencing is occasionally loose, such as 'As for the second table' or 'While, the moderate acceptance level has a variance between 33 and 40%'. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, and there is a clear overall progression of ideas from the chart data to the table data, ensuring the reader can follow the text easily without confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with appropriate topic-specific terminology such as 'pie chart', 'proportion', 'satisfaction level', and 'population'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'constitute', 'minority', and 'variance', though some word choices and phrasing are slightly awkward, such as 'the rate of acceptance' or 'acceptance level' when referring to satisfaction ratings. There are also minor lexical slips like 'online learning' instead of 'distance learning'. However, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points clearly, and spelling is accurate throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures like 'while the table provides' and 'although the rate of part-time graduates was slightly low'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'Overall data of full time undergraduate constitute majority and minority data of academic staff' (missing articles and subject-verb agreement issues) and punctuation errors like comma splices ('While, the moderate acceptance level...'). Nevertheless, these errors do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout the response. The majority of simple sentences are accurate.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.