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 illustrates the results of survey of library users categories at a university.

Overall, fulltime undergraduate and postgraduate students have a larger amount of share in terms of use while academic staff and distance learning have a very less share.

A full time undergraduates are major ones in terms of library use such as 44%.After that comes full time postgraduates that contain 25%.The users that do not use as others are academic staff and distance learning.The ratio of part-time students is 16%.

The users that are most satisfied by helpfulness of staff and library opening hours.In terms of availability of books and availability of journals users have mixed views.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the largest user group correctly: full-time undergraduates account for 44%, followed by full-time postgraduates at 25%, and you give a broad overview of the user categories. However, the response addresses the task only partially. It omits the figures for academic staff, distance learners and part-time postgraduates, and the satisfaction section is reduced to general comments rather than reporting the key results. For example, staff helpfulness has the highest very-satisfied rating at 95%, while journals have the lowest at 45% and the highest not-satisfied share at 20%; these comparisons are not included. The response is also 38 words below the required minimum, leaving too little space to summarise the main features adequately. Include a fuller overview and select several precise comparisons from both visuals.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and further details about user categories and satisfaction. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph moves from user proportions to satisfaction without clearly separating or systematically comparing the two sets of information. Linking phrases such as “After that” and “In terms of” help, but the relationships between points are sometimes unclear; for instance, “The users that do not use as others” does not clearly explain which groups are being compared. Paragraphing and cohesive devices are therefore only partly effective, and the response feels more like a short list of observations than a developed summary. Group the user categories together, then report satisfaction results in a separate, logically ordered paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “full-time undergraduates,” “part-time students,” “satisfied,” and “availability of books/journals,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes some comparisons difficult to interpret. “A larger amount of share” is not a natural way to describe proportions, while “a very less share” and “do not use as others” are unclear. Repetition of “users” and “terms of” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise language for proportions and satisfaction, such as “accounted for,” “represented,” and “rated … very satisfactory.” Check compound forms such as “full-time” and use “share” or “proportion” consistently rather than combining them awkwardly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses mostly short, simple statements, with limited evidence of varied sentence structures. Several grammatical errors are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning harder to follow. The opening says “The chart and table illustrates,” where the plural subject requires “illustrate,” and “results of survey” needs an article. The sentence “A full time undergraduates are major ones” has a mismatch between the article and plural noun, as well as an unclear structure. There are also missing spaces after full stops, as in “44%.After,” which affects punctuation and readability. These errors show that basic sentence patterns are not yet consistently controlled. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete sentence construction, then combine ideas using simple comparative clauses.

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.