Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28

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 that the categories of library users including academic staff, distance learning, part-time postgraduate, full-time postgraduate and full-time undergraduate while table show the result of library of user satisfaction in percentage at university.

Overall, it is notice that full-time undergraduate of library user is highly figure and low figure in academic staff in pie chat while helpfulness of staff are low satisfied user library in table.

In pie chart, there are several categories of library user. Firstly, full-time undergraduate students are highly using library at 44% while other full-time postgraduate users are steadily drop using library about 25%. Secondly, part-time postgraduate are rapidly decrease at 16%. At the end, Distance learning and academic staff users are using library at 8% and 7%.

In the table, user satisfaction in helpfulness of staff are very high satisfied at 95% and fairly satisfied by 5%. There are not satisfied is 0%. In addition, library opening hours and availability of journals are very satisfied 65% and 45% while fairly satisfied are same percentage at 35%. Availability of journals are not satisfied at 20%. On the other hand, library of user satisfaction in availability of books and reliability of wi-fi are very satisfied at 50% and steadily drop to 48% while fairly satisfied at 40% and 33% and users are not satisfied at 10% and 19%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover both visuals and include many relevant figures, such as the 44% share of full-time undergraduates and the 95% very satisfied with staff helpfulness. The overview also identifies the largest and smallest user groups, which helps highlight a main feature. However, the overview misstates the satisfaction picture: staff helpfulness is the most positively rated item, not the least, and the table shows 65% very satisfied with opening hours. Some comparisons are also unclear or inaccurate; for example, you say opening hours and journals have the same fairly satisfied figure, but opening hours are 35% and journals are also 35%, while the sentence’s grouping makes the comparison difficult to follow. Select the key contrasts more clearly and ensure the overview accurately summarises both visuals.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph on user categories and a paragraph on satisfaction. This gives the reader a basic route through both visuals, and sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly” and “In addition” help signal progression. However, some linking is mechanical, and references are occasionally difficult to track. For instance, “On the other hand” does not introduce a clear contrast before the books and wi-fi figures, and the long final sentence combines several satisfaction categories without clearly separating them. Group related figures into shorter comparisons—for example, the strongest ratings, then the less positive results—and use linking phrases only when the relationship is genuinely contrastive or additive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “categories,” “satisfaction,” “percentage,” and “availability,” and you attempt to describe differences with words such as “highly” and “drop.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the intended meaning unclear. “Highly figure” does not express that a group is the largest, and “steadily drop using library” is not a natural way to describe the smaller share of postgraduate users. Repetition of “users” and “satisfied” also limits the range. Build a more precise set of chart-description phrases, such as “accounted for,” “represented,” “the largest proportion,” and “rated … very satisfactory,” and check collocations before using them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the response is generally understandable despite grammatical problems. However, errors occur frequently in basic sentence construction and agreement, and some longer sentences become difficult to interpret. For example, “The pie chart illustrates that the categories … while table show” lacks a complete, well-formed structure and has agreement and article problems. In “helpfulness of staff are very high satisfied,” the subject–verb pattern and adjective construction are faulty. Articles, plurals and verb forms also need attention, as in “there are not satisfied is 0%.” Practise writing one clear comparison per sentence, checking subject–verb agreement and using accurate patterns such as “95% were very satisfied with staff helpfulness.”

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.