IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Library Users Pie & Table (Band 9 Sample)
This Academic Task 1 combines a pie chart showing the categories of people who use a university library with a table showing how satisfied they are with five aspects of the service. A band-9 response gives an overview that draws both together, then reports the key figures with comparisons. Below is a model answer of roughly 195 words, followed by why it scores 9 on all four criteria.
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01 · The task
The pie chart below shows the categories of people who use a university library, and the table shows how satisfied those users are with five aspects of the library. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
02 · Band 9 sample answer
195 words · Band 9The pie chart shows the different categories of people using a university library, while the table reports how satisfied those users were with five aspects of the service.
Overall, undergraduates were by far the largest group of library users. In terms of satisfaction, the helpfulness of staff was rated most positively, whereas the availability of journals and the wi-fi attracted the greatest dissatisfaction.
According to the pie chart, full-time undergraduates accounted for the largest share of users, at 44% — almost double the 25% recorded for full-time postgraduates. Part-time postgraduates made up a further 16%, while distance-learning students and academic staff represented the smallest groups, at 8% and 7% respectively.
The table reveals generally high levels of satisfaction. Staff helpfulness stood out, with 95% of users very satisfied and none dissatisfied, closely followed by opening hours, which no one rated as unsatisfactory. The picture was less positive for resources, however: 20% of users were not satisfied with the availability of journals, and a similar 19% were dissatisfied with the reliability of the wi-fi — the two weakest areas.
03 · Why this scores Band 9
The response integrates both the pie chart and the table, opens with an overview covering the dominant user group and the best- and worst-rated services, and then reports the key figures for each with comparisons. It selects the standout points — undergraduate dominance, near-universal satisfaction with staff, weak scores for journals and wi-fi — rather than listing every value.
The report is logically split — overview, then one paragraph for the pie chart and one for the table, signposted "According to the pie chart..." and "The table reveals...". Comparisons are linked naturally: "almost double...", "a further 16%", "closely followed by...", "The picture was less positive for resources, however".
Data vocabulary is precise and varied — "accounted for the largest share", "almost double", "made up a further 16%", "rated most positively", "stood out", "attracted the greatest dissatisfaction" — describing proportions and levels without repetition.
A range of structures presents the figures accurately: a "respectively" comparison ("at 8% and 7% respectively"), a non-defining relative clause ("opening hours, which no one rated as unsatisfactory"), and a dash used to add emphasis ("the two weakest areas"). The percentages are reported without error.
04 · Useful collocations for this task
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural collocations like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
05 · Frequently asked questions
How do I combine a pie chart and a table in one answer?
Give a single overview that names the headline from each, then take one paragraph per source. Here the overview flags the dominant user group and the best/worst services, and the body handles the pie and the table separately — the clearest structure for a mixed question.
The table has three satisfaction columns — how do I report it?
Focus on the extremes: which aspects scored highest for "very satisfied" and which had the most "not satisfied". Reporting the standout best and worst, with figures, is far more effective than reading out every cell.
What tense should I use?
The past simple is safest, as the survey describes a completed snapshot ("undergraduates accounted for 44%", "95% were very satisfied"). Just keep the tense consistent throughout.
How long should a Task 1 answer be?
At least 150 words; a band-9 answer is usually 170–200. This model is 195 words, enough for an overview plus the key features of both the chart and the table. Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1.
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