Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 and table illustrate the proportion of five sources of results and library users (undergraduate full-time, full-time postgraduate, part-time postgraduate, distance learning (all courses) , academic staff) in the university.

Overall, in a pie chart full-time undergrads accounted for a high, full-time postgraduates decreased, and part-time postgraduates were higher than high academic staff and distance learning. In a table library, opening hours are very satisfied, and the helpfulness of staff is very high than other satisfactions. Fairly satisfied availability of books, high and low, and fairly satisfied helpfulness of staff.

Library users of the maximum level full-time undergrads (44%), and those of the minimum level are distance learners (only 8%. Others are full-time postgraduate (25%), part-time postgraduate (16%), and academic staff only (7%), which is a very low level.

Library user satisfaction percentage(%), most satisfied helpfulness of staff 95%, low satisfied availability of journals 45% than others. Fairly satisfied high level availability of books 40%, Others seem to closed 35%, but helpfulness of staff is very low only 5%. Not satisfied availability of books 10%, journals 20%, wifi 19%, library opening hours and helpfulness result zero percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main user groups and report several accurate figures, including undergraduates as the largest group (44%), academic staff as the smallest (7%), and staff helpfulness as the strongest satisfaction result (95%). You also note that opening hours and staff helpfulness received no “not satisfied” responses. However, the overview is unclear and includes unsupported or confusing comparisons, such as saying full-time postgraduate users “decreased” and that opening hours “are very satisfied.” The satisfaction data are only partly summarised: the response does not clearly compare the high satisfaction for opening hours (65%) with the lower figures for journals and Wi-Fi, or explain the mixed results for books, journals and Wi-Fi. Select the key contrasts and describe them precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph on user categories and one on satisfaction. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is divided. However, progression within paragraphs is often difficult to follow, and the overview does not clearly guide the later details. Phrases such as “Fairly satisfied availability of books, high and low” and “Others seem to closed 35%” make the relationships between figures unclear. Linking is also limited, with repeated use of “and” and “Others,” while references such as “others” do not specify which categories are meant. Organise the satisfaction results in a clear order and use explicit comparisons, for example, contrasting the highest and lowest very-satisfied figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “satisfaction,” and “not satisfied,” and you attempt to describe rankings with “maximum” and “minimum.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the meaning difficult to understand. For example, “five sources of results” does not accurately describe user categories, “full-time postgraduates decreased” suggests a change over time, and “most satisfied helpfulness of staff” is not a natural way to report the result. Repetition of “high,” “low,” and “others” also limits precision. Use standard data-reporting phrases such as “the largest user group,” “the proportion of users,” and “the highest satisfaction rating,” and choose terms that describe comparisons rather than trends when no time period is shown.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and some basic statements communicate the figures, such as “Library users of the maximum level full-time undergrads (44%).” However, sentence structures are often incomplete or faulty, which makes several comparisons hard to interpret. The opening sentence has an unclear construction (“five sources of results and library users”), while the overview contains fragments such as “in a pie chart full-time undergrads accounted for a high.” Articles and sentence patterns are also inconsistent, as in “In a table library, opening hours are very satisfied.” Aim for complete subject–verb sentences, and check that the subject is the group or rating rather than the chart itself. For example: “Full-time undergraduates made up the largest group, at 44%.”

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