Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-12

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 6.5)

The table depicts total visitors of Ashdown Museum before the year of refurbished and after the year of refurbished. The pie charts illustrate the result of the satisfaction of the visitors' surveys for the same two years.

Overall, the visitors number increased after refurbishment. The satisfied visitors number had increased, and dissatisfied visitors number had decreased after refurbishment.

Visitors number increased after refurbishment by 18,000. Previously, the number of visitors was 74,000, after refurbishment the number of visitors was 92,000.

Before refurbishment the number of very satisfied visitors was less than one-fifth, which was 15%. In contrast, after refurbishment the number of very satisfied visitors was more than one-third, which was 35%. However, before refurbishment the number of dissatisfied visitors was two-fifth, and after refurbishment the number of dissatisfied visitors decreased by 25%, which was 15%. Additionally, after refurbishment the number of very dissatisfied visitors decreased by one-half in comparison with the number of visitors before refurbishment. The satisfied visitors number also increased by 10% after refurbishment. The number of visitors who did not provide any response had not changed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You cover the main features and make accurate comparisons: visitor numbers rose from 74,000 to 92,000, satisfaction increased, and dissatisfaction fell. The overview identifies the broad direction of change, while the body supports it with figures such as very satisfied visitors rising from 15% to 35% and dissatisfied visitors falling from 40% to 15%. The other categories are also reported, including the unchanged 5% with no response. To make the account more fully developed, clarify that the 25% fall in dissatisfaction is a percentage-point change, and report the very dissatisfied category’s actual values (10% to 5%) rather than only describing it as halving. This would make the comparisons more precise and avoid ambiguity.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a clear introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and the information progresses logically from visitor totals to survey results. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” “However” and “Additionally” help signal comparisons, and the reader can follow the before-and-after structure. Some connections are less smooth because the same idea is repeated: the increase in visitor numbers is stated in both the overview and the next paragraph, with the figures then repeated. The survey details could also be grouped more systematically—for example, positive responses together, followed by negative responses and no response. This would make the progression more efficient while retaining the clear paragraph structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “refurbishment,” “satisfied,” “dissatisfied,” “increased” and “decreased,” so the main trends are clear. There are also attempts to express proportions with “less than one-fifth,” “two-fifth” and “one-half.” However, several phrases are awkward or imprecise, particularly “total visitors of Ashdown Museum,” “the result of the satisfaction” and repeated use of “visitors number.” “Two-fifth” is also not the correct form for the proportion described. Aim for more natural collocations and consistent terms such as “the number of visitors” and “survey results.” More precise language for changes in percentages would also help distinguish a percentage-point difference from a relative decrease.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more complex comparisons, including “In contrast, after refurbishment…” and “Additionally, after refurbishment…,” and the meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “before the year of refurbished” and “after the year of refurbished” use an incorrect construction; “before and after refurbishment” would be more accurate. In “The satisfied visitors number had increased,” the word order and tense are not well controlled; a simple past form with “the number of satisfied visitors” would be clearer. There are also article, plural and agreement issues in phrases such as “the visitors number” and “two-fifth.” Continue practising accurate noun phrases and verb forms, while varying sentence structures without making comparisons harder to follow.

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