Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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 the different users utilizing library and the table shows the statisfaction of library users.

Overall, full-time undergraduates accounted as the largest users of library resources,while helpfulness of staff had the highest statisfaction points. Subsequently, academic staff recorded the lowest utilization of library, whereas users were least satisfied with the availability of journals.

Looking at the pie chart, full-time undergraduates stood at first position making use of large section of library resources at 44 percent, followed by full-time postgraduates, accounting 25 percent. Furthermore,part-time postgraduate users represented 16 percent. Meanwhile, distance learning stood at 8 percent and academic staff at 7 percent, making the smallest category.

The table represented, the library user satisfaction, where helpfulness of staff had the large proportion of users satisfied at 95 percent and 5 percent fairly satisfies, showing no sign of dissatisfaction.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main user group correctly (full-time undergraduates, 44%) and the smallest (academic staff, 7%), and your overview notes the strongest satisfaction result for staff helpfulness. However, the table is only partly reported: you give the 95% very satisfied and 5% fairly satisfied figures for staff helpfulness, but omit the other four categories, including the low satisfaction for journals and the 0% dissatisfaction for opening hours. Your overview mentions journals as the least-satisfied area but does not support this with figures. The response is also below the required 150 words, so it has limited scope to summarise the data. Include key comparisons across the table and develop the overview with the main satisfaction patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph on user categories and a final paragraph on satisfaction. This gives the reader a clear general route through the information. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore” and “Meanwhile” help signal relationships, although some transitions feel mechanical or are attached without appropriate spacing. The final paragraph is especially abrupt: it reports only staff helpfulness and stops without covering the remaining satisfaction results. To improve progression, group the table’s strongest results together, then compare the less positive categories, using clear references to each category. Ensure each paragraph develops its stated focus rather than ending after a single data point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted,” “represented” and “dissatisfaction,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons you intend. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “statisfaction points,” “stood at first position,” “large section of library resources” and “the large proportion of users satisfied.” “Utilization” is also less natural here than a direct description of the share of users. There is some repetition of “users” and “library,” while spelling errors such as “statisfaction” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise chart language and check spelling: for example, describe a group as “accounting for” a percentage and satisfaction as a “proportion of respondents.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including the overview clause beginning “whereas” and the sentence describing the user categories. Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical patterns are noticeable. For example, “full-time undergraduates accounted as the largest users” needs a different verb pattern, and “followed by full-time postgraduates, accounting 25 percent” is missing a preposition. The final paragraph begins “The table represented,” which creates an incomplete or awkward structure, and “5 percent fairly satisfies” has an incorrect clause form. There are also punctuation and spacing issues around commas. Practise accurate reporting structures such as “accounted for,” “was followed by,” and “the table shows that,” while varying sentence forms.

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