Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31
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 and table illustate the result of a survey of library users at a university.
Overall, it is noticeable that the highest percentage is of full-time undergraduate and lowest percentage is of academic staff in chart. In chart there are categories of library uses in which the full-time undergraduate 44%, full-time postgraduate 25%, part-time postgraduate 16%, distance learning (all courses) 8%, and academic staff 7%.
It is evident that the table has three sections which shows library users satisfaction. First is very satisfied in which the library openening hours 65%, helpfulness of staff 95%, availability of books 50%, availability of journals 45%, and reliabilityof wifi 48%. Second part is fairly satisfied in which the library opening hours 35%, helpfulness of staff 5%, availability of journals 35%, availability of books 40%, and reliability of wifi 33%. In not satisfied section the library opening hours and helpfulness of staff is 0%, availability of books 10%, availability of journals 20%, and reliability of wifi 19%.
A closer look reveals that there is big difference between helpfulness of staff and availability of journals in very satisfied and not satisfied but in fairly satisfied helpfulness of staff and availabilty of staff is same.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You report the figures for both the user categories and all five satisfaction areas, and your overview correctly identifies full-time undergraduates as the largest group and academic staff as the smallest. However, the response is mainly a list of data rather than a selection of the most significant features. The final comparison is unclear and partly inaccurate: helpfulness of staff and availability of journals are not the only areas with a large difference between satisfied and dissatisfied responses, and the fairly satisfied figures for staff helpfulness and journals are both 5% and 35%, not the same. A stronger response would highlight the very high satisfaction with staff, the absence of dissatisfaction with opening hours and staff, and the comparatively higher dissatisfaction with journals and wi-fi.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph reporting the table, and a final comparison. This helps the reader locate the two sets of information. However, progression is limited because most of the table paragraph lists figures in sequence without grouping or comparing them. Connectors such as “First,” “Second part,” and “In not satisfied section” are repetitive and make the organisation feel mechanical. The final sentence also introduces a comparison without explaining it clearly, and “availability of staff” appears to refer to a different category from the one discussed earlier. Grouping the satisfaction results into high-satisfaction areas and areas with more dissatisfaction would create clearer progression and more effective cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant task vocabulary, including “full-time undergraduate,” “availability of books,” “fairly satisfied,” and “reliability of wi-fi,” so the main information is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, particularly repeated uses of “section” and “part.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as “illustate,” “openening,” “reliabilityof,” and “availabilty.” “Library users satisfaction” is not a natural possessive phrase, while “big difference” is too informal and vague for an academic summary. More precise terms for describing proportions and contrasts would make the report clearer and more appropriately formal.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt some complex sentence forms, for example, “It is evident that the table has three sections which shows library users satisfaction,” and you use present-tense reporting consistently. However, the range is limited, and errors in agreement and sentence construction occur often enough to make some passages awkward. In that example, “which shows” does not agree with plural “sections,” and the clause needs a clearer grammatical relationship. In “the library opening hours and helpfulness of staff is 0%,” the compound subject requires a plural verb. The final sentence also lacks a clear structure for comparing the categories. Practise accurate relative clauses, subject–verb agreement, and parallel phrasing when listing figures; these will help you express comparisons more reliably.
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