Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The table below shows the numbers of visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year before and the year after it was refurbished. The charts show the result of surveys asking visitors how satisfied they were with their visit, during the same two periods.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The table and the pie charts display the total number and the satisfaction of the visitors to Ashdown museum during a year before and a year after the refurbishment.

Overall, the total number of visitors during the year after it was refubished was bigger than the year before refurbishment. For visitor satisfaction the "very satisfied" and "satisfied" categories witnessed a dramatic increase

after refurbishment remaining as the two largest categories while the no response category remained as the smallest category with a stable number.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the overall rise in visitor numbers and the improvement in satisfaction, and your statement that “no response” stayed stable is accurate. However, the response addresses the task only minimally: it gives no figures, omits the fall in dissatisfaction (from 40% to 15%) and very dissatisfaction (10% to 5%), and does not report the visitor totals of 74,000 and 92,000. The claim that satisfied and very satisfied became “the two largest categories” is not accurate for the year before refurbishment, when dissatisfaction was the largest category. The response is also 66 words below the required minimum, leaving the main comparisons undeveloped. Include an overview and select key figures from both periods to support it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, understandable order: it introduces the visuals, then gives an overall summary. “Overall” signals the shift to the main features, and the ideas are generally connected. However, the answer is only one short paragraph, so it does not develop a clear progression through the visitor totals and the survey results. The final sentence combines several claims without supporting details, and the line break before “after refurbishment” interrupts the flow. To improve, use a brief introduction, a distinct overview, and one or two body paragraphs that group related figures and comparisons. Linking expressions such as “by contrast” or “whereas” would help show the changes more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing the visuals, including “total number,” “satisfaction,” “categories,” and “increase.” These choices make the general topic clear, but the range is limited and some wording is imprecise or repetitive. “Bigger” is informal for a numerical comparison; “higher” or “greater” would be more suitable. “Witnessed a dramatic increase” is an awkward collocation for survey categories, and “remaining as” does not clearly express the change. There is also a spelling error in “refubished.” Use the chart’s exact labels, such as “very satisfied” and “dissatisfied,” and vary comparison language with phrases such as “rose from” and “fell to.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Your response includes a few simple sentence patterns and one longer sentence, and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is narrow, with little use of varied or well-controlled complex structures. In “the total number of visitors … was bigger than the year before refurbishment,” the comparison is not grammatically parallel: compare the number with the number, or say it was higher than in the previous year. The phrase “the ‘very satisfied’ and ‘satisfied’ categories witnessed a dramatic increase after refurbishment remaining…” also has an unclear participle construction; separate the ideas or use a clause such as “and remained…”. Check spacing and punctuation as well, including the extra space in “number and.” Practise accurate comparative and subordinate structures.

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