Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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 graphical representation illustrates results of a survey on library user satisfaction at a university in percentage. The respondents included academic staff, fulltime undergraduates and postgraduates, part-time graduates and distance learners.

Overall, helpfulness of staff has highest satisfaction where as vailability of journals and realiability of wifi have lower levels of satisfaction.

Regarding individual services, helpfulness of staff recorded highest levels of satisfaction at 95% while remaining 5% were fairly satisfied. Library opening hours ranked second with 65% respondents recorded very satisfaction. 50% of the survey takers were very satisfied with availability of books while 10% were not satisfied.

In contrast, satisfaction with the availability of journals was relatively low, with 45% of users being satisfied and 20% expressing dissatisfaction. Wi-Fi reliability also received mixed responses: 33% of respondents were fairly satisfied and 19% were not satisfied, leaving approximately 48% who were very satisfied.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the main satisfaction contrast: staff helpfulness is strongest, while journals and Wi-Fi receive less positive responses. Several figures are reported accurately, including 95% very satisfied with staff, 65% with opening hours, and the Wi-Fi breakdown. However, the response gives little attention to the user-category chart beyond listing groups, and it omits the key comparison that full-time undergraduates form the largest group (44%), while academic staff are the smallest (7%). Some reporting is also imprecise: 45% for journals refers to users who were very satisfied, not all users who were satisfied. The overview is brief and does not summarise the main features of both visuals. The response is six words below the required minimum, and fuller coverage and more precise comparisons are needed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a short overview, and paragraphs describing the service ratings. The progression from the most positive results to less positive ones is easy to follow, and transitions such as “In contrast” help signal comparison. However, the user-category information is introduced but not developed, so the discussion moves directly from the survey population to satisfaction ratings without covering both visuals in a balanced way. Some linking is also mechanical, and the overview’s “where as” construction does not connect the comparison smoothly. Grouping the user categories in one paragraph and the satisfaction results in another, with a fuller overview first, would make the organisation more complete and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “respondents,” “recorded,” “dissatisfaction,” and “mixed responses,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, several inaccurate or awkward choices that limit precision: “very satisfaction” is not the correct form, “survey takers” is less appropriate than “respondents,” and “part-time graduates” does not accurately name the chart category, which is part-time postgraduate students. Spelling errors in “vailability” and “realiability” are noticeable, while “fulltime” should be written as “full-time.” Aim for accurate collocations and consistent terminology, especially when distinguishing “very satisfied” from overall satisfaction. These improvements would make the description more natural and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and most sentences communicate the intended comparisons clearly. For example, “Wi-Fi reliability also received mixed responses” introduces a result effectively, followed by a clause explaining the figures. Some grammatical errors remain, including the missing article in “has highest satisfaction,” the incorrect construction “65% respondents recorded very satisfaction,” and the awkward phrase “in percentage.” The sentence about the survey population also has inconsistent category wording, which affects clarity. Check article use and ensure that percentage figures are linked to people or ratings with a complete, accurate structure—for example, “65% of respondents were very satisfied.” Greater control of these patterns would improve accuracy while preserving your sentence variety.

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