Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18
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 chart and table illustrate the percentage of survey of library students and other academic staff at a university.
Overall, the pie chart shows the percentage of library users in various category such as full-time graduate, part time graduate also for academic staff. On the other hand, table shows the library users satisfaction in percentage in different sections.
In pie chat, the higher usage is 44% that are used by full-time undergraduate learners in the higher education department and it was dominate contribution. After that, one third of library users were full-time post graduates which were 25%. While, 16% students contribute in library that were part-time postgraduate students. Also 8% and 7% users were distance learning and academic staff almost same as the particepte in library.
In the table, the satisfaction about library opening hours and helpfulness of staff are higher in very satisfied category that is 65% and 95% respectively and fairl satisfied category is much lower than very satisfied section.Avilability of books, availability of journals as well as reliability of WI-FI are higher in satifaction than fairly satisfied students of the university. But the ratio of dissatisfied students are much lower.
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 summarizing both the pie chart and the table. The main features are identified, such as the highest proportion of library users being full-time undergraduates (44%) and the highest satisfaction scores being for staff helpfulness (95%). Key comparisons are made between categories of users and satisfaction levels. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reporting the data, such as misinterpreting the table's satisfaction trends in the final paragraph where phrasing like 'availability of books... are higher in satifaction than fairly satisfied' is slightly confused and imprecise. Nevertheless, the overall overview is clear and the core data points are accurately reported, meeting the expectations for a Band 6.5 to 7.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overall summary, a body paragraph detailing the pie chart, and a body paragraph discussing the table. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', and 'In the table'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in phrases like 'In pie chat, the higher usage is 44% that are used by...' and awkward transitional links. Paragraphing is present and appropriate, but the logical progression between sentences occasionally falters due to grammatical slips. This corresponds closely to a Band 6.0 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'percentage', 'proportion' (implied), 'undergraduate', 'postgraduate', and 'satisfaction'. However, there are several spelling and word-choice errors, including 'category' instead of 'categories', 'chat' instead of 'chart', 'dominate contribution' instead of 'dominant contribution', 'particepte', 'fairl', 'Avilability', and 'satifaction'. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5, as the frequent slips in spelling and word forms demonstrate limitations in control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like relative clauses ('learners in the higher education department and it was dominate contribution') and comparative statements. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the higher usage is 44% that are used', 'availability of books... are higher'), missing articles ('in table', 'in pie chat'), and awkward phrasing ('Also 8% and 7% users were distance learning and academic staff almost same as the particepte in library'). While these errors rarely impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the text from achieving a Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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