Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19
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 4.5)
The given chart and table illustrate survey library user at university.
Overall the chart shows the categories of library user. Where full time undergraduate are highest users and academic staff have lowest usage. While post time and part graduates are in the middle.
Firstly we will talk about chart. It shows category of users. Full time undergraduate are highest library usage with 44% and academic staff is lowest. Full time and part time post graduate also take part with 25% and 16%. Other distance learner also took part with a little higher percentage than academic staff which is 8%.
Secondly there is a table showing library user satisfaction.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
You identify the largest and smallest user groups accurately: full-time undergraduates account for 44%, while academic staff make up 7%. You also report the postgraduate figures and distance learners’ 8%, so the chart is partly covered. However, the response stops just as it introduces the satisfaction table and gives none of its results; this leaves a major part of the task unaddressed. The overview is also limited to user categories and does not summarise the main satisfaction pattern, such as the high ratings for staff helpfulness and opening hours. The response is 42 words below the required minimum, which contributes to the incomplete coverage. To improve, include a concise overview and compare the most notable satisfaction figures as well as the user groups.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic, recognisable structure: an opening, an overview, and a paragraph beginning with “Firstly” to describe the chart. “Secondly” signals a move to the table, showing an attempt to guide the reader. However, the progression is not completed because the final paragraph contains only an introduction and no data. The repeated references to “chart” and “categories of users” also make the organisation feel repetitive rather than developed. The overview’s “Where” and “While” clauses are not integrated smoothly into complete sentences, which weakens the links between ideas. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the overview, user categories, and satisfaction results, and connect comparisons directly—for example, contrast the highest and lowest satisfaction ratings.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “categories,” “usage,” “satisfaction,” and “percentage,” and the key figures are generally expressed clearly. However, the range is limited and several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “survey library user,” “post time and part graduates,” and “take part.” These choices can make the intended categories difficult to identify. “Highest library usage” is also less precise than describing the group as the largest share of users. Aim for accurate names of the groups and natural reporting collocations, such as “accounted for,” “represented,” and “rated the service.” Avoid repeating “shows” and “users” when a more specific term can make the comparison clearer.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Most sentences use simple structures, and the reader can understand the main comparison. There are attempts to link ideas, but some sentence forms are incomplete or awkward: “Where full time undergraduate are highest users” is a dependent clause without a main clause, and “While post time and part graduates are in the middle” is also a fragment. Agreement is inconsistent in “Full time undergraduate are” and “academic staff is,” while articles and plural forms are missing or inaccurate in “survey library user at university.” The sentence beginning “Other distance learner also took part” has further agreement problems. Practise complete subject–verb structures and check singular/plural agreement; for example, “Full-time undergraduates were the largest group, whereas academic staff were the smallest.”
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