Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The pie chart illustrates the different categories of users of a university library, while the table shows the level of satisfaction among these users regarding five aspects of the library.

Overall, full time undergraduate students constisuted the largest proportion of library users, whereas academic staff accounted for the smallest group. In terms of satisfaction, the helpfulness of staff received the most positive feedback, while the availability of journals and wifi had comparatively lowest level of satisfaction.

Full time undergraduates made up 44% of library users, followed by full-time graduates at 25%. Part time postgraduates represented 16%, while distance learning students accounted for 8%. Academic staff were the smallest category, at just 7%.

Regarding satisfaction, 65% of respondents were very satisfied with the library's opening hours, while the remaining 35% were fairly satisfied and none were dissatisfied. Helpfullness of staff received the highest positive rating, with 92% being very satisfied and only 8% fairly satisfied. The availability of books was also viewed positively, with 50% very satisfied and 40% fairly satisfied, although 10% were not satisfied.

The figures for journals were positive, as only 45% of users were very satisfied and 35% were fairly satisfied, while 20% were dissatisfied. Wi-Fi received a similar response with 40% very satisfied, 45% fairly satisfied and 15% not satisfied.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and highlighting key features from both the pie chart and the table. The main trends are successfully identified, such as full-time undergraduates constituting the largest proportion (44%) and the high satisfaction levels for staff helpfulness (95% very satisfied). Comparisons are made where relevant, contrasting the highest and lowest satisfaction categories. However, there are minor data discrepancies in the body paragraphs; for instance, the student reports that 92% of respondents were very satisfied with the helpfulness of staff, whereas the table clearly shows 95%. Similarly, the student misquotes the Wi-Fi satisfaction figures as 40% very satisfied and 45% fairly satisfied instead of 48% and 33%. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the overall response effectively addresses the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear progression from an introduction and overview into detailed body paragraphs. The introduction successfully paraphrases the prompt, while the overview captures the most salient general trends. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the pie chart data from the various rows of the table. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In terms of satisfaction', and 'Regarding satisfaction'. However, referencing and transitions between sentences can occasionally feel slightly mechanical. Overall, the text flows smoothly and the reader is guided effectively through the visual data.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, such as 'illustrates', 'proportion', 'accounted for', and 'respondents'. There are successful attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'constituted' and 'comparatively'. However, there are a few spelling errors, most notably 'constisuted' and 'Helpfullness', along with minor lexical inaccuracies, such as referring to 'full-time graduates' instead of 'full-time postgraduates'. Word choice is generally sufficient to convey meaning clearly, but these occasional errors prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and participial phrases successfully (e.g., 'The pie chart illustrates..., while the table shows...'). There is good control over basic grammatical structures, and punctuation is generally accurate throughout the text. While there are a few minor typographical and grammatical slips—such as missing hyphens in compound modifiers like 'full time' and 'Part time'—the majority of sentences are error-free and communication is never impeded. The grammatical control is solid and supports the clarity of the report.

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