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 pie chart describes the categories of library users at university and table depicts the information of about library users satisfaction of using different facilities.
Overall, it can be seen that full time undergraduate experienced highest share while academic staff accounted for smaller share. Moreover, library users are highly satisfied with help fullness of staff.
At the first glance, 44% of library users are full time undergraduate students which is the highest proportion among all users. In addition, 41% of users are total of two categories in which 25% of full time postgraduate and 16% of part-time postgraduate students. However, academic staff and distance learning courses witnessed 7% and 8% respectively.
Turning to table, 95% of users are very satisfied with helpfulness of staff, 65% of library opening hours. more than half library users are very satisfied with availability of journals, reliability of wi-fi. Furthermore, 33% to 40% of users are fairly satisfied with facilities. However, 10% to 20% users are not satisfied with availability of books and journals.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features from both the pie chart and the table, and makes relevant comparisons. The overview captures the main trends effectively, noting that full-time undergraduates formed the largest user group and that staff helpfulness received the highest satisfaction rating. Key data points are correctly cited, such as the 44% for full-time undergraduates and the 95% satisfaction rating for staff helpfulness. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reporting the table details, such as stating that 'more than half library users are very satisfied with availability of journals' when the chart actually shows 45%. Overall, the response covers the requirements well and provides a clear summary.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph paraphrasing the prompt, followed by an overview, a body paragraph detailing the chart, and a final body paragraph discussing the table data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different visual aids. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'In addition', and 'Turning to table'. However, some cohesive links and transitions are slightly mechanical or missing articles ('Turning to table', 'full time undergraduate experienced highest share'), which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Referencing is generally clear throughout.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'category', 'witnessed', and 'satisfaction'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and collocations are slightly imprecise or awkward, such as 'information of about library users satisfaction of using' and 'help fullness'. Spelling is generally accurate, but minor lexical errors and awkward phrasing appear occasionally. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Overall, it can be seen that full time undergraduate experienced highest share while academic staff accounted for smaller share.' There are several noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('the highest share', 'to the table', 'the availability'), missing plural markers ('full time undergraduate' instead of 'undergraduates'), and preposition errors ('satisfaction of using'). Despite these errors, the sentences are generally understandable and communication is not impeded. The control over grammar is characteristic of Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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