Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)
The pie chart illustrates the outcomes of a survey for various categories of library users at a university, while the table compares the percentage of library user satisfaction.
Overall, full-time undergraduates were the most popular group of library users, whereas academic staff were the least interested. A large percentage of library users were very satisfied with the helpfulness of staff, and only a small percentage were satisfied with the availability of journals.
Looking at the table in more detail, library opening hours are not very satisfying for library users, at a percentage of 65%, and the important point is that no user is dissatisfied with the library opening hours and helpfulness of staff, whereas the satisfaction level experiences a decline in percentage in availability of books, journals and reliability of wifi with 50, 45 and 48 percent; moreover, their dissatisfaction also sees a rise with 10, 20, and 19 percent.
According to the pie chart, full-time undergraduates are more inclined towards library usage with 44%, which is significantly higher than any other group. Full-time postgraduates ranked second at 25%, followed by part-time postgraduates at 16%. Distance learning contributed 8%, while academic staff had the smallest share at 7%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview of both the pie chart and the table. The main features are identified, such as full-time undergraduates forming the largest category of library users and academic staff the smallest. Data is appropriately cited from both graphics, including percentages for user categories and satisfaction levels. For example, the student correctly notes that full-time undergraduates accounted for 44% and that 65% were very satisfied with the library opening hours. Comparisons are made where relevant, such as contrasting the high satisfaction rates for staff helpfulness with lower scores for book and journal availability. The response is fully relevant and satisfies the requirements of Task 1 effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory sentence outlining the contents of the charts, followed by a general overview paragraph, a detailed look at the table, and finally a breakdown of the pie chart. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different parts of the visual data. Cohesive devices are employed with reasonable flexibility, such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the table in more detail', 'whereas', and 'moreover'. However, some sentences are rather long and dense, occasionally making the flow slightly mechanical. Referencing and progression remain clear throughout the essay.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully using terms such as 'outcomes', 'proportion', 'inclined towards', and 'experience a decline'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as describing undergraduates as the 'most popular group' rather than the largest group of users, or stating that opening hours are 'not very satisfying' when the data shows 65% were very satisfied. Minor inaccuracies in word choice do not impede communication, and spelling is accurate throughout the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and compound-complex sentences effectively. Grammatical control is generally good, with frequent error-free sentences, such as 'Full-time postgraduates ranked second at 25%, followed by part-time postgraduates at 16%.' Punctuation is handled well, and while there are occasional minor awkward constructions—such as 'at a percentage of 65%' where 'at 65%' would be more concise—these errors do not impede understanding and represent typical Band 7 control.
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