Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22
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 chart and table show the results of library users at a university.
Overall, there are various kind of library users which are shown in the graph. While the table shows library user satisfaction ratio with different services provided on the library.
Full time undergraduate share the largest percentage of 44percent in library use. Full time post graduate with 25 percent come at the second place. While the least are academic staff with only 7percent. Part time postgraduate and distance learning contribute 16 and 8percent respectively in library use.
least amount of satisfaction recorded of the reliability of wifi with only 48percent are satisfied with it. While helpfulness of the staff is 95percent i satisfaction column brings it at the top. library opening hours come at second place with 65percent satisfaction followed by availability of books and journals. Availability of journals comes at the top in terms of mot unsatisfied service provided the library.
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 successfully covers all parts of the visual data by reporting both the main categories of library users from the pie chart and key satisfaction ratings from the table. The student identifies the highest and lowest categories, noting that full-time undergraduates form the largest group (44%) and academic staff the smallest (7%). For the satisfaction table, the student correctly highlights staff helpfulness at 95% and touches upon the availability of journals and reliability of Wi-Fi. However, the overview is rather weak, and there are minor misreadings or confusing expressions regarding the data, such as claiming the availability of journals is the 'most unsatisfied service' when the table shows 20% for journals and Wi-Fi has 19% not satisfied (though journals also have lower satisfaction overall, the phrasing is slightly imprecise). Nevertheless, key features are reported, satisfying Band 6 requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into distinct paragraphs separating the introduction, the chart data, and the table data, providing a coherent overall arrangement. However, the logical progression is sometimes hindered by abrupt transitions and awkward sentence phrasing, such as starting the final paragraph with 'least amount of satisfaction recorded of the reliability of wifi'. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, relying mostly on words like 'While' and 'followed by'. Paragraphing is present and functionally separates the different visual sources, but referencing is occasionally unclear, leading to a mechanical feel in how ideas are linked together. This aligns well with the descriptors for Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to percentages, categories, and satisfaction ratings (e.g., 'proportion', 'percentage', 'satisfaction ratio'). However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'different services provided on the library' instead of 'provided by the library', 'Full time undergraduate share' instead of 'account for', and 'mot unsatisfied service' (typographical error for 'most'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success, and spelling or phrasing inaccuracies occur frequently enough to restrict the score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors in punctuation, capitalization, and syntax throughout the response. Examples include missing articles ('on the library' instead of 'in the library'), lack of subject-verb agreement or incomplete clauses ('least amount of satisfaction recorded of the reliability of wifi with only 48percent are satisfied with it'), and lowercase beginnings of sentences in places. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning and communication is generally maintained, they occur with sufficient frequency to place the response firmly in the Band 5.5 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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