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 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 chart, the higher usage is 44% that are used by full-time undergraduate learners in the higher education department and it was a 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 | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses both parts of the prompt by summarizing the pie chart and the table. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, though it is slightly repetitive. Key features are identified, such as the highest proportion of library users being full-time undergraduates at 44%, and the high satisfaction levels for opening hours and staff helpfulness. However, some data points are misread or awkwardly phrased, such as stating that 'one third of library users were full-time post graduates which were 25%' (25% is a quarter, not a third). Despite minor inaccuracies in data interpretation, the main trends and comparisons are adequately reported, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, following a logical structure with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the chart and the table. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', 'In pie chart', and 'In the table' are used to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing is sometimes clunky, and certain linking expressions are awkward or misused (e.g., 'Also 8% and 7% users were distance learning and academic staff almost same as the particepte in library'). Paragraphing is present and appropriate, but overall cohesion can feel mechanical at times. This corresponds to a Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe percentages and categories (e.g., 'percentage', 'higher usage', 'satisfaction', 'proportion'). There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'dominate contribution' (intended to be dominant), but these are often accompanied by word-choice and collocation errors. Additionally, there are spelling and morphological errors throughout the text, such as 'category' instead of categories, 'particepte' instead of participants, 'Avilability', and 'satifaction'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, placing the response firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('students who were part-time postgraduate students') and passive/adjectival descriptions. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors with subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions (e.g., 'the percentage of survey of library students', 'table shows the library users satisfaction', 'are higher in very satisfied category'). Complex sentence attempts often contain structural flaws or run-on tendencies. While these errors rarely completely obscure meaning, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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