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 survey of library students and other academic staff at a university.
Overall, the chart shows the percentage of library users in various categories such as full-time graduate, part-time graduate and academic staff. The table shows the user satisfaction in percentage in different sections.
In the pie chart, the highest usage is 44% that are used by full-time undergraduate learners in the higher education department and it was a dominant contribution. After that, one third of library users were full-time post graduates which were 25%. While, 16% students contributed in library that were part-time postgraduate students. Also 8% and 7% users were distance learning and academic staff almost same as the participate in the library.
In the table, the satisfaction level about the library opening hours and helpfulness of staff are higher in very satisfied category that is 65% and 95% respectively and fairly satisfied category is much lower than very satisfied section.Availabilty of books, availability of journals as well as reliability of WI-FI are higher in satisfaction level than fairly satisfied students of the university. But the ratio of dissatisfied students is 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 | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers both parts of the visual data by summarising the pie chart regarding library user categories and the table showing satisfaction levels. The main features are identified, such as the highest proportion of users being full-time undergraduates at 44% and the high satisfaction with staff helpfulness at 95%. However, there are some minor misinterpretations of the data; for instance, the writer states that 25% is 'one third' of users, which is inaccurate since 25% represents one quarter. Additionally, the description of the table is somewhat imprecise in grouping the satisfaction categories together rather than contrasting the figures clearly. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, but greater precision in reporting numerical data is needed for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically with an introduction, an overview paragraph, a body paragraph dedicated to the chart, and a final body paragraph discussing the table. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different parts of the prompt. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally mechanical or faulty. For example, transitional phrases like 'After that' and 'Also 8% and 7% users were distance learning and academic staff almost same as the participate in the library' disrupt the natural flow of ideas. Pronoun referencing and linking devices could be managed more flexibly to achieve a smoother progression between sentences and clauses.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'category', 'dominant contribution', and 'satisfaction level'. There are, however, several lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing throughout the text, such as 'full-time graduate' instead of undergraduate, and 'participate in the library' instead of participation. Furthermore, some descriptive expressions are repetitive or unnatural, such as 'ratio of dissatisfied students'. While communication is not impeded, the vocabulary lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher band levels.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and comparative structures (e.g., 'the highest usage is 44% that are used by full-time undergraduate learners...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward clause structures throughout the response, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('44% that are used', '8% and 7% users were... almost same as the participate') and punctuation oversights. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they demonstrate inconsistent control over complex grammatical structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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