Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04
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 5.0)
The chart and table illustrates the results of a survey of library users at a university
Overall, the chart signifies five categories of library users with full-time undergraduate comprising the highest proportion while the academic staff being the lowest.The table illustrates the percentage of users which are satisfied with library's different features significantly marking helpfulness of staff the leading feature.
The chart illustartes the category of library users where full-time undergraduates are leading with 44%,followed by full-time postgraduate at 25%. Distance learning with part time graduate combined are 24% of the overall. Academic staff lagged behind at 7%
The table vividly showing the library user satisfaction with several features benefiting the different students in different ways
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response only partially addresses the task requirements. First, the length requirement is not met, as the response contains only 105 words, falling significantly short of the 150-word minimum, with 11 words copied directly from the prompt. While the student attempts to summarise the main features of both the chart and the table, such as identifying full-time undergraduates at 44% and academic staff at 7% on the chart, and noting the helpfulness of staff on the table, the information is presented in a limited and underdeveloped manner. The final sentence of the body paragraph trails off awkwardly without a complete predicate, leaving key data unexpressed and preventing full coverage of all parts of the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text shows some overall organisation, but there is no clear logical progression throughout the response. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences are choppy and the writing lacks sufficient cohesive devices to connect ideas smoothly. While the student makes basic attempts to transition between sentences, such as using 'Overall' and 'followed by', referencing is sometimes unclear, and the mechanical repetition of sentence openings weakens the overall flow. To move to a higher band, the student needs to structure paragraphs with clearer topical themes and employ a wider, more accurate range of cohesive links to guide the reader seamlessly through the data comparisons.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing a basic range of terms related to percentages and survey categories. However, there are notable spelling errors, such as 'illustartes', and awkward word choices, such as 'significantly marking helpfulness of staff the leading feature'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but these attempts are often accompanied by inaccuracies in collocation and word form. To achieve a higher band, the student should expand their lexical repertoire to include more precise descriptive verbs and academic phrasing while ensuring correct spelling and natural word combinations throughout the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing displays a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent grammatical errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. There are issues with subject-verb agreement and missing verbs, most notably in the final paragraph where the sentence 'The table vividly showing the library user satisfaction' lacks a finite verb. Additionally, punctuation errors are present, including missing full stops at the ends of sentences, such as after 'lowest.' and '7%'. To improve, the student must demonstrate better control over basic sentence construction, ensure every sentence contains a main verb, and incorporate a wider mix of accurate complex sentence forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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