Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

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

Categories of library users

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The pie chart illustrates the main features of categories of library users at a university. Similarly, the table shows the information about the library user satisfaction level in terms of percentage.

In the pie chart, the share of full-time undergraduate students in the categories of library users are the highest at stand on 44 percentage. In addition, full-time postgraduate students used the library at approximately 25%. Whereas, the satisfaction level is the highest of the helpfulness of staff at 95% in the light of library user satisfaction. Library opening hours are nearly reach sixty-five percentage in terms of very satisfied.

In contrast, only seven percent users of the library of academic staff, eight percent distant learning courses and 16 percent part-time postgraduate students. Furthermore, library user satisfaction 45 percent in the view of availability of journals, 48 percent reliability of wi-fi and 50 percent availability of books.

In short, table is divided into three categories very satisifed, fairly satisfied and not satisfied. Helpfulness of staff is the highest level in the table. Similarly, pie chart is divided into five categories but full-time undergraduate is the highest level.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of both the pie chart and the table, noting that full-time undergraduates make up the largest group of library users at 44% and that staff helpfulness received the highest satisfaction rating at 95%. However, the selection of data is somewhat disjointed, and the reporting lacks a well-structured overview. While key data points are mentioned, such as academic staff accounting for 7% and library opening hours having 65% very satisfied, the comparison between the two graphics remains superficial. The overview is weak, consisting merely of a basic description of the graphics rather than a synthesis of main trends. This satisfies the criteria for Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement and is divided into paragraphs, though the logical progression between sentences is sometimes disjointed. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or mechanically in places, such as 'In contrast, only seven percent users of the library of academic staff...' and 'In short, table is divided into three categories...'. Paragraphing is attempted, but grouping related information together could be improved, as data from the table and pie chart are mixed across different paragraphs. Reference words and substitutions are sometimes unclear or ungrammatical, making the flow of ideas slightly clunky. This aligns with Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'satisfaction level', 'availability of journals', and 'reliability of wi-fi'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, form, and collocation, such as 'the share of... are the highest at stand on 44 percentage' and 'eight percent distant learning courses' instead of 'distance learning'. Spelling and basic lexical control are generally acceptable, but frequent awkward phrasing limits the score to Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'Library opening hours are nearly reach sixty-five percentage' (tense and preposition errors) and 'only seven percent users of the library of academic staff' (incomplete clause/missing verb). Punctuation is generally present, but sentence structures often break down under the weight of complex clauses. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the response firmly at Band 5.0.

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