Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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 illustrate the results of a survey of library users at a university. Different categories of users had visited the library and explain the percentage of their satisfaction.

Overall, it is noticeable that various categories of users had visited the library of university. The heighest percentage of users are full-time undergraduate and the lowest percentage users are academic staff who visits very often.

It is evident that the percentage of academic staff is 7%, distance learning 8%, part-time postgraduate 16%, full-time postgraduate 25% and the heighest percentage is the full-time undergraduate users.

A closer look reveals that users are very satisfied with helpfulness of staff and fairly satisfaction percentage is only 5%. But the users feedback reveals that availability of journals is only 45% and fairly satisfaction is almost equal to it which is 35% and also helpfulness have 0 not satisfaction while availability of journals is 20%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the largest user group as full-time undergraduates and the smallest as academic staff, and you accurately report several category figures. You also select satisfaction results, including 95% very satisfied with staff helpfulness and 45% very satisfied with journal availability. However, the overview is repetitive and does not summarise the main satisfaction pattern across the table; for example, opening hours (65% very satisfied) and the contrast between books and journals are omitted. Some details are unclear or inaccurate: “fairly satisfaction percentage is only 5%” should refer to staff helpfulness, while the 5% is fairly satisfied, not overall satisfaction. The response is 140 words, below the 150-word minimum, and this limits the coverage and development of the key features.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph on user categories and a final paragraph on satisfaction. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Overall” and “A closer look reveals” signal movement between sections. However, progression is limited because the overview repeats the introduction’s general point rather than summarising the data, and the final paragraph combines several figures without a clear sequence. The reference in “fairly satisfaction percentage is only 5%” is also difficult to follow, as the reader must infer which survey category it describes. Group the satisfaction results more systematically and use clear comparisons to make the relationships between figures easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “categories,” “availability,” and “helpfulness,” so the topic is generally clear. There is some attempt to vary expression with phrases such as “A closer look reveals” and “users feedback.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, including “heighest,” “fairly satisfaction,” and “not satisfaction.” “Users feedback” is also an awkward collocation, and “visited the library” does not accurately express the chart’s categories of users. These errors sometimes make the intended meaning less clear. Aim for precise data-reporting language, such as “the proportion of users,” “fairly satisfied,” and “not satisfied,” and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including “A closer look reveals that…” and a sentence beginning “But the users feedback reveals…”. However, control is inconsistent, and several sentence structures contain errors that make relationships between ideas difficult to understand. For example, “Different categories of users had visited the library and explain the percentage of their satisfaction” shifts tense and joins ideas in an unclear way. In “The heighest percentage of users are…,” the subject and verb do not agree, while “the lowest percentage users are academic staff who visits” has problems with articles, sentence structure and agreement. Use straightforward, accurate sentences to report each comparison, then add complex clauses only when you can control their grammar and punctuation.

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

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