Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 illustrates the proportion of different categories of library users at a university, while the table present level of satisfaction with five aspects of the library services and facilities.

Overall, full-time undergraduates constituted largest part of the library users, whereas academic staff accounted for the smallest portion. In terms of satisfaction, library staff received most of the positive feedback, but the journal availability had lower satisfaction levels.

To begin with, full-time undergraduates represented 44% among all the categories and followed by full-time postgraduates, who accounted for 25%. Furthermore, part-time postgraduate’s students comprised a further 16%, however distance learning for all courses and academic staff remained were smallest part at just 8-7% in terms of library users.

Moreover, helpfulness of staff was the most highly rated aspect with 95% very satisfied, and remained 5% were fairly satisfied. Library opening hours also received an optimistic rating as 65% were very satisfied and 35% were fairly satisfied. Additionally, availability of books, journals as well as reliability of wi-fi recorded mostly not satisfied feedback by library users approximately lower than 20.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all parts of the prompt by summarising both the pie chart and the table. An adequate overview is provided, highlighting the main features such as the dominance of full-time undergraduates in library usage and the high satisfaction levels for staff helpfulness compared to lower satisfaction for journals. Key data points are accurately reported, including the 44% for full-time undergraduates and 95% for very satisfied users regarding staff helpfulness. However, there are some minor data misinterpretations or clumsy phrasings in the final paragraph, such as misinterpreting the 'not satisfied' percentages for books, journals, and wi-fi as being 'approximately lower than 20' when the figures are specific (10%, 20%, 19%). Despite this slight imprecision, all major trends and figures are adequately represented, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0; here, the coverage is solid enough to earn a 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement and follows a logical structure, moving from an introductory overview to body paragraphs detailing the pie chart and then the table. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different parts of the visual data. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'To begin with', and 'Moreover'. However, some cohesive phrasing and referencing feel slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'remained were smallest part' and 'recorded mostly not satisfied feedback by library users approximately lower than 20'. Progression is evident, but the awkward phrasing in transitions slightly disrupts the natural flow. Therefore, the response demonstrates features of Band 6 well.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'constituted', 'accounted for', and 'satisfaction levels'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with varying degrees of success; phrases like 'optimistic rating' are slightly unnatural in this context. There are a few noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'table present' (instead of presents) and 'part-time postgraduate’s students' (possessive error). Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The student attempts complex structures, such as relative clauses ('who accounted for 25%') and subordinate clauses introduced by 'while'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the table present', 'remained were smallest part') and awkward phrasing ('remained 5% were fairly satisfied'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor structural slips mean that error-free sentences are not in the majority. These errors rarely impede overall communication, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

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.