Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20
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 pie chart and table compare the data on a survey of library users at a university.
Overall, full time ungraduate was denominant of the total proportion, accounted at 44% while academic staff had the lowest portion over the decade. In the term of library user satisfaction, helpfulness of staff had the highest percentage overall whereas availability of journals stood at 45%.
It is cleared in pie chart, full time undergraduate illustrated the highest proportion of library users while full time postgraduate showed 25%.On the other hand part time postgraduate, distance learning and academic staff were approximately at 16%, 8%, and 7% respectively.
By looking table, where library user satisfection showed. the denominator was helpfulness of staff having 95% while library opening hours showed 65% of satisfied users and making up 35% fairy satisfied. Availability of books demonstrated 50% satisfection level and availability of journals stood at 45%, followed by reliability of wifi at 48%
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 the main features of both the pie chart and the table, noting that full-time undergraduates represented the largest category of library users (44%) and that helpfulness of staff received the highest satisfaction rating (95% very satisfied). However, there is a factual error in the text where the student claims academic staff had the lowest portion 'over the decade', which is incorrect as the visual data relates to a single survey, not a ten-year span. Additionally, the overview is somewhat weak, and some data points are described with awkward phrasing, such as 'accounted at 44%'. Nevertheless, all categories are mentioned and key comparisons are attempted, satisfying the requirements for a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and is divided into paragraphs separating the introduction, the pie chart, and the table. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by abrupt transitions and mechanical cohesive devices, such as 'By looking table, where library user satisfection showed.' Referencing is occasionally unclear, and paragraphing could be used more purposefully to separate distinct parts of the visual data. The logical flow is somewhat disrupted by frequent grammatical and lexical awkwardness, placing this response firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 category for cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'category', 'satisfaction level', and 'respectively'. However, there are notable lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'undergraduate' (spelling error), 'denominant' (incorrect word form for dominant), 'portion over the decade' (misinterpreting the chart data as a time series), and 'fairy satisfied' (spelling error for fairly). While less common vocabulary is attempted, the frequent inaccuracies in word choice and spelling prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as 'While full time undergraduate illustrated the highest proportion of library users while full time postgraduate showed 25%.' However, the text contains frequent grammatical errors and punctuation slips, including missing articles ('By looking table'), incorrect prepositions ('accounted at 44%' instead of 'accounting for 44%'), and sentence structure issues like 'where library user satisfection showed. the denominator was...'. These errors require some effort from the reader to interpret, though they do not completely impede overall communication, supporting a Band 5.5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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