Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29
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 presented chart and table illustrate the conclusion of a research of library users at a college. The provided pie chart presents the categories of users, whereas the table shows the level of satisfaction of students.
In an overview, full-time undergraduate has a highest proportion in the categories of users, whereas academic staff has lowest. Moreover, the satisfied level was high by helpfulness of staff, but low by the availability of journals.
To begin with the chart, the population of different type of students accounted by percentage. The proportion of full time undergraduate is 44%, and for full-time postgraduate was quarter of the chart. In addition, part-time postgraduate has little amount of members, and academic staff and distance learning are almost in same ratio.
According to the table, the most of the library members was satisfied by helpfulness of staff, but less by availability of journals. The level of satisfaction of availability of books was half, and reliability of wifi was just below the half. Then, the library opening hours contained 65% of satisfaction.
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 main categories of library users from the pie chart and the satisfaction levels from the table. An overview is attempted, noting that undergraduates represent the highest proportion and academic staff the lowest, alongside general satisfaction trends. However, some data reporting is imprecise or vague, such as stating that part-time postgraduates have a 'little amount of members' rather than giving the specific 16% figure, and describing the availability of books satisfaction level as 'half' rather than 50%. Key comparisons are somewhat superficial, placing the response within Band 6 territory where all parts are addressed, but some details are under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a logical paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to an overview, followed by separate paragraphs for the chart and the table. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'In an overview', 'To begin with the chart', and 'According to the table'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'To begin with the chart, the population of different type of students accounted by percentage.' Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, supporting a clear progression of ideas, which aligns well with a Band 6 score.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'proportion', 'category', 'satisfaction level', and 'population'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'research of library users' instead of 'survey', 'satisfied level' instead of 'level of satisfaction', 'little amount of members' instead of 'a small percentage', and 'almost in same ratio' instead of 'similar proportions'. These lexical errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the score to Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The provided pie chart presents the categories of users, whereas the table shows the level of satisfaction of students.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, including pluralisation issues like 'different type of students', missing articles like 'has a highest proportion' and 'the most of the library members', and prepositions such as 'satisfied by' instead of 'satisfied with'. While these errors occasionally cause minor awkwardness, they rarely impede communication, placing the grammatical performance firmly at Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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