Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The table shows the number of people who visited the Ashdown Museum before it was refurbished and after the refurbishment, and the chart below illustrates a survey of the satisfaction level of the visitors.

To begin with, the total number of visitors who visited the Ashdown Museum before the refurbishment were 74,000, highest percentage of people were dissatisfied at 40%, visitors who were satisfied were at 30%, visitors with the most satisfaction were just 15% , 10% with very dissatisfaction and 5% of people gave no response.

On the other hand, visitors who visited the Museum after the refurbisment were 92,000 which were quit higher in numbers then before the refurbishment 40% of people were satisfied, 35% were very satisfied people with least satisfaction were 5%, 15% were dissatisfied whereas 5% people gave no response.

If we see in the before and after of the table and survey we can see a huge change in the visitors count and the satisfaction level of the people. before the refurbishment the highest number of vistors were dissatisfied but after the refurbishment it is complete opposite at 40% people satisfied.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You report the main figures accurately, including the rise in visitors from 74,000 to 92,000 and the shifts in satisfaction percentages. Your final comparison identifies the key overall change: dissatisfaction was most common before refurbishment, while positive responses predominated afterwards. This addresses the task and gives a relevant overview. However, the overview is brief and partly imprecise: “40% people satisfied” refers only to the satisfied category, while the combined satisfied and very satisfied share after refurbishment was 75%. The response also lists nearly every category without explaining the broader pattern as clearly as it could. Make the overview more explicit, then select the most important contrasts and compare positive and negative responses across both periods.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence: an introduction, a paragraph about the year before refurbishment, a comparison with the year after, and a concluding overview. Phrases such as “To begin with” and “On the other hand” help signal movement between periods. However, the organisation is somewhat mechanical, and the long second-period sentence runs several figures together, making the comparisons harder to follow. The final paragraph repeats information already given rather than adding a sharper synthesis. Use separate, well-structured sentences to group positive and negative responses, and make links between the two years explicit. This would improve progression and reduce repetition while retaining the generally coherent arrangement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table and survey, including “total number of visitors,” “dissatisfied,” and “satisfaction level.” This is enough to communicate the main information, but range and precision are limited, with repeated use of “people,” “visitors,” and “refurbishment.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate, such as “most satisfaction,” “very dissatisfaction,” and “quit higher in numbers then.” There are also spelling errors, including “refurbisment” and “vistors.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce accuracy and naturalness. Build a small set of precise comparison phrases, such as “the proportion of respondents” and “rose considerably,” and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, several sentences contain errors in agreement, articles, sentence boundaries, and punctuation. For example, “the total number … were 74,000” should use a singular verb, and “40% of people were satisfied” needs a clearer grammatical link to the figures. The sentence beginning “On the other hand” joins multiple clauses and figures without adequate punctuation, while the final sentence begins with a lowercase “before.” These issues make some relationships less clear. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and divide long comparisons into shorter sentences; then check articles, commas, and capitalisation.

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