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 results of library students and other academic staff survey 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 is used by full-time undergraduate learners in the higher education department and it was a dominant contribution. After that, quater of library users were full-time postgraduates 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 is higher in satisfied category that is 65% and 95% respectively and fairly satisfied category is much lower than very satisfied group. Availability 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 student covers both parts of the prompt, successfully summarising the main features of the pie chart and the table. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, outlining what both the chart and table present. Key data points are accurately reported, such as 44% for full-time undergraduates and 95% for staff helpfulness. However, the response contains some awkward phrasing in the overview ('results of library students and other academic staff survey') and minor generalisation issues in body paragraphs. Nevertheless, all main trends and comparisons are appropriately identified, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two separate body paragraphs addressing the chart and table respectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct components of the visual data. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In the pie chart', and 'In the table'. However, some transitions and referencing feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('The chart shows... The table shows...'). Furthermore, the sentence cohesion in the final sentence of the pie chart paragraph is a bit strained ('Also 8% and 7% users were distance learning and academic staff almost same as the participate in the library'). Progression is generally logical, placing it firmly at Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to surveys and statistics (e.g., 'percentage', 'dominant contribution', 'satisfaction level'). There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and collocations are unnatural or inaccurate, such as 'quater' (misspelling of quarter), 'students contributed in library', and 'satisfied category is much lower'. Spelling errors and word-formation slips are noticeable ('participate' used as a noun) but do not impede communication. The lexical range is sufficient for the task and meets the criteria for Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the response, such as missing prepositions, article errors ('results of library students and other academic staff survey'), and imprecise verb forms ('that is used by full-time undergraduate learners... and it was a dominant contribution'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they rarely impede overall communication. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor for grammar.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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