Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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 proprtion of libarary user, while the table provies infromation about library user satisfaction at a university .

Overall, most of library user are full time undergraduate and academic satff are least intrest in using library , while most student are satisfied from helpfulness of staff , while student not satisfied from availabiltiy of journals .

Firstly , all the time full time undergrduate student are using library around 44%, while academic staff are using least time of library around 7% , also postgraduate student are use libary about 25% and part time postgraduate student are use library around 25% in addation disatance learing student are also use small amount part of library around 8% .

Secondly , most student are satisfied from satff helpfulness about more then 95% and student are fairly satisfied from avaliability of books around 40% while 20% of avaliability jounrals user are not satisfied from them , while 65% user of library opening hours are also highly satisified ,while avaliability of books user are farily satisfied from library ,fruthermore rebilability of wi-fi user are located in mid rang besausce half student are satisfied while some student are not satisfied .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting both the main features of the pie chart and the data from the table, fulfilling the requirements for this level. An overview is attempted, noting that full-time undergraduates are the most prominent users and mentioning general satisfaction trends, such as staff helpfulness. However, some ideas and details are under-developed or inaccurately stated. For example, the student incorrectly states that part-time postgraduate students use the library 'about 25%' when the chart clearly shows 16%, and claims that 'academic staff are least interest', overlooking distance learners at 8%. While key data points are selected, the lack of precision in reporting figures and some incomplete comparisons keep the response at this level. To move higher, the student should ensure all data is read accurately from the visual prompts and provide fully developed overviews without factual errors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the answer into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs covering the two visual prompts respectively. Paragraphing is used to separate the chart and the table. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and faulty. The student relies heavily on repetitive transitional markers like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'also', and 'while' to link clauses and sentences, creating run-on structures that lack smooth progression. Furthermore, referencing is not always clear, as seen in the convoluted sentence structures in the final paragraph where pronouns and modifiers become tangled (e.g., 'avaliability of books user are farily satisfied'). To improve cohesion, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and avoid stringing multiple clauses together with repetitive conjunctions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough range to discuss categories of users and satisfaction levels, but it is marred by numerous spelling mistakes and word-choice errors. Examples of spelling errors include 'proprtion', 'libarary', 'infromation', 'satff', 'intrest', 'undergrduate', 'libary', 'inaddation', 'disatance', 'learing', 'avaliability', 'jounrals', 'farily', 'fruthermore', 'rebilability', 'mid rang', and 'besausce'. While these spelling errors do not entirely impede communication, their frequency is noticeable. There are also inappropriate word forms and collocations, such as 'academic satff are least intrest in using library'. To reach a higher band, the student must significantly improve spelling control and expand the lexical resource to include precise academic vocabulary without frequent mechanical slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of structures, attempting some complex forms by joining multiple clauses, but these attempts are frequently faulty. There are recurrent errors in basic grammar, subject-verb agreement, and articles. Examples include 'most of library user are full time undergraduate' (plural/singular mismatch and missing articles), 'academic staff are using least time' (incorrect verb tense/aspect for a general habit or proportion), 'postgraduate student are use libary' (incorrect verb form), and 'more then 95%' (incorrect spelling of 'than'). Punctuation is also weak, with random spacing before punctuation marks. Although the mix of simple and complex sentence forms is present, the frequent errors in grammar mean the control is typical of this level. To progress, the student needs to use verb forms more accurately and master basic agreement and article usage.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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