Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27
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 gives information of categories of library users. The value of of full-time graduate is 25% which is more tha that of part-time postgraduate which is 16%. Meanwhile, academic staff shows the value of 7% which is quite similar to the distance learning (all courses) which is around 8%. Furthermore, there is another table shows library users statisfaction rate in percentage. From the table, it can be seen that students are very satisfied with the library opening hours whereas the percentage is even higher in helpfulness of staff which is 95% and it also falls in very satified category. There are three categories in availability of books, the first category is very satisfied which is around 50 percent while the value in fairly satisfies is around 40 percent and the value in not satisfied category is 10 percent. It shows that the students are very much satisfied with the availibility of books. In conclusion, the library is available for all staff members as well as students and everyone seems very satisfied when they use 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 student covers both parts of the visual data, referencing the pie chart showing categories of library users (such as full-time undergraduates at 44% and academic staff at 7%) and the table detailing user satisfaction ratings. Key features are reported, including the high satisfaction rates for library opening hours and staff helpfulness (95% very satisfied). However, the response lacks a clear, cohesive overall summary or overview of the main trends at the beginning or end, and some data points are described in a somewhat disjointed manner. The conclusion attempts a general summary but generalizes somewhat inaccurately by stating that 'everyone seems very satisfied' when the table clearly shows varied satisfaction levels, including 20% not satisfied with journal availability. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it firmly in the Band 6 territory.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with logical progression from the pie chart to the satisfaction table. Basic cohesive devices are used, such as 'Meanwhile', 'Furthermore', and 'From the table, it can be seen that'. However, paragraphing is poorly handled, as the entire body of the report is clumped into a single, dense block of text with the conclusion attached at the end instead of being structured into distinct, logical paragraphs. Referencing is mostly clear, but the lack of proper paragraph breaks restricts the flow and makes the overall structure mechanical rather than naturally organized. These characteristics align well with the Band 5.5 to 6 descriptor range, warranting a score of 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'categories', 'percentage', 'satisfaction rate', and 'availability'. There are some noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'value of of full-time graduate' (typographical error and repetition), 'statisfaction' (spelling error), 'satified' (spelling error), and 'availibility' (spelling error). While less common vocabulary is attempted, minor spelling and word-choice slips occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching a higher band. Nevertheless, communication is not impeded, and the vocabulary remains minimally adequate for an Academic Task 1 response, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as subordinate clauses ('whereas the percentage is even higher in helpfulness of staff which is 95%'). Grammatical control is mixed; there are several structural and punctuation errors, such as missing articles ('gives information of categories'), double prepositions ('value of of'), run-on clauses without appropriate punctuation, and subject-verb agreement slips ('there is another table shows'). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear and they do not impede communication. The sentence structures demonstrate sufficient variety to meet the criteria for Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.