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 illustrate the proportion of library users at a University over the different categories and its user satisfaction.
Overall, it can be seen that Full-time undergraduate takes most use of library and Academic staff are its least user. Most amount of Library user are very satisfied with Helpfulness of staff and the most users who are not satisfied with library is because of Avaibility of journals.
44% of Full-time undergraduate are the highest amount of frequent user of library, while around 25% and 16% of its user are Full-time postgraduate and Part-time postgraduate.On the other hand 8% of library users are Distant learners and Academic staff are the least contributing category which is around 7% out of toal library users.
95% out of total users are very satisfied with Helpfulness of staff and on the other hand 40% of library users are fairly satisfied with Availability of books. The users who are not satisfied with Availability of journals are 20%.
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 covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both the pie chart and the table. An overview is provided in the second sentence, noting the extremes of user categories and satisfaction levels. Key data points are successfully selected and reported, such as the 44% figure for full-time undergraduates and the 95% satisfaction rate for staff helpfulness. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting details, such as stating that 'availability of journals' is the main cause of dissatisfaction when the data shows 20% not satisfied compared to 19% for wi-fi, which is very close. Despite this minor slip, the response provides a clear summary and fulfills the task requirements effectively, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the chart and the table data. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'while', 'On the other hand', and 'and on the other hand'. However, paragraphing could be structured better, and some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('on the other hand' is used twice in close succession). Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression between sentences occasionally stumbles due to slightly awkward phrasing. Overall, the essay maintains a coherent structure that is easy to follow, justifying a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'proportion', 'category', 'satisfaction', and 'frequent user'. However, there are several lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'takes most use of library' instead of 'makes the most use of the library', 'Most amount of Library user' instead of 'The majority of library users', and spelling errors like 'Avaibility' and 'toal'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success. Because these errors do not seriously impede communication, the lexical resource is characteristic of a Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'while around 25% and 16% of its user are Full-time postgraduate and Part-time postgraduate.' There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The pie chart illustrate', 'Academic staff are its least user', 'Most amount of Library user are') and pluralisation errors ('user' instead of 'users'). Punctuation also needs attention, notably missing spaces after periods (e.g., 'Postgraduate.On the other hand'). While these errors are frequent, they rarely impede the overall communication of the data. This performance aligns well with the Band 5.5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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