Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-21
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 data illustrates a survey results of library users at a university.
Looking for an overall perspective, there are five categories of library users. Most library users are full-time undergraduate and postgraduate, while the least users are from academic staff.
Firstly, library is mostly used by full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students, which accounts for approximately 70% of total users. There are 16% of library users who are part-time postgraduates, while user from academic staff and distance learning comprise 15% of total users.
Secondly, percentage of library users satisfaction is highest about staff helpfulness and lowest about availability of journals. About 95% of users are very satisfied from helpfulness of staff in library, whereas 65% of users are very satisfied form library opening hours except of those 35%, who are fairly satisfied. There are only around 50% of users which are very satisfied from availability of books and reliability of wi-fi. There number of users who are satisfied from availability of journals are significantly low, while highest are unsatisfied as compared to other categories.
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 addresses all parts of the task by reporting both the categories of library users and the satisfaction percentages from the table. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, noting the five categories and the extremes. Key features are selected, such as full-time undergraduates and postgraduates comprising 44% and 25% respectively, and the highest satisfaction being for staff helpfulness at 95%. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, the text states 'There are 16% of library users who are part-time postgraduates, while user from academic staff and distance learning comprise 15% of total users' (7% + 8% = 15%, which is accurate, but the grouping is slightly imprecise). Furthermore, the description of the satisfaction data becomes a bit tangled at the end ('There number of users who are satisfied from availability of journals are significantly low'). Overall, the response covers the main features well with clear comparisons, aligning with a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall progression, divided into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the user categories and the satisfaction data. Cohesive devices are used to signal structure ('Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Looking for an overall perspective'), though some referencing is slightly mechanical or awkward. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two distinct visual data sources. However, logical flow is occasionally disrupted by minor referencing issues, such as 'while user from academic staff' (missing plural) and imprecise pronoun usage. Progression within paragraphs is generally clear, but connections between sentences could be smoother. This fits the Band 6 descriptor well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms such as 'illustrates', 'categories', 'comprise', 'satisfaction', and 'availability'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but word choice and collocation inaccuracies are noticeable throughout the text. Examples include 'survey results of library users' (should be 'the results of a survey'), 'least users are from' (should be 'fewest'), 'very satisfied from' (should be 'satisfied with'), and 'There number of users' (should be 'The number'). Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical inadequacies and preposition errors cause occasional minor strain for the reader, placing this securely at Band 5.5 to 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('which accounts for approximately 70%') and subordinate clauses. However, there is a recurring presence of grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('the least users are', 'percentage of library users satisfaction is'), missing articles ('library is mostly used'), and incorrect prepositions ('satisfied from', 'satisfied about'). While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5. A mix of correct structures alongside persistent basic errors is characteristic of Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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