Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-24

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 chart demonstrate categories of library users while, the table show the results of user satisfaction.

Overall, full-time undergraduate and full-time postgraduate spent more time in library than others.

Users were mostly satisfied with the service of staff and the opening hours of library, however few of them have problems with wi-fi and the availability of journals.

To start with, the categories almost half of the users were full-time undergraduate accounting for 44% of the chart. The second in the line was full-time postgraduate represents 25% and following the part-time postgraduate were at 16% only. The lowest was academic staff and distance learners only 1% of gap was seen in between them academic at 7% and distance learners at 8%.

All of the users were satisfied with the opening hours of library and with the customer service of the staff. However, some of books were not available to staff so 10% of the staff was not satisfied, 40% was fairly satisfied and the others were satisfied with the collection of the books. Most of the customers were not satisfied with the journals section as they were not much option available around 20% of them other 35% were fairly satisfied. The wi-fi was also a issue for 19% of the users but 33% were fairly satisfied and the rest have no issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main user group accurately: full-time undergraduates account for 44%, followed by full-time postgraduates at 25%, and you also report the smaller categories. Your overview notes high satisfaction with staff and opening hours and weaker views of journals and wi-fi, which captures important contrasts. However, the statement that the two largest groups “spent more time in library” is not supported: the chart shows user categories, not time spent. “All of the users were satisfied” with opening hours and staff is also too broad; the figures show 65% very satisfied with opening hours and 95% with staff, while the remainder were fairly satisfied. Develop the overview more precisely and distinguish satisfaction levels from overall satisfaction.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by a paragraph on user categories and one on satisfaction. This gives the reader a sensible route through the information, and transitions such as “Overall,” “To start with,” and “However” help signal relationships. Some connections are less clear, particularly “The lowest was academic staff and distance learners only 1% of gap was seen in between them,” where the comparison is difficult to follow. The final paragraph also moves rapidly from books to journals and wi-fi, with limited separation of the figures. Use clearer sentence boundaries and more precise referencing, and group the satisfaction results in a consistent order to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “accounting for,” “fairly satisfied,” “availability,” and “not satisfied,” and these choices generally make the data understandable. However, some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for describing charts. “Spent more time in library” misrepresents what the categories chart measures, while “second in the line” and “not much option available” are awkward formulations. “Customer service” is also less precise than the table’s measure, “helpfulness of staff.” These choices sometimes blur the intended meaning, so the range is adequate but not consistently controlled. Aim for concise reporting language such as “represented,” “ranked second,” and “availability of journals,” and use the exact category labels where possible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast in “Users were mostly satisfied … however few of them have problems with wi-fi.” However, errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to process. For example, “The chart demonstrate” and “the table show” have subject–verb agreement errors, while “The second in the line was full-time postgraduate represents 25%” combines clauses without a workable structure. There are also problems with articles and number agreement in “an issue” and “10% … was not satisfied.” Use a reliable pattern such as “X accounted for …” for figures, check singular and plural verbs, and separate contrasting ideas with appropriate punctuation.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.