Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The charts compare the number of visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year before and the year after it was refurbished and the results of surveys of visitor satisfiaction during the same two periods.

Overll, it can be seen that the number of visitors increased during the year after refurbishment, while year before refurbisment results of survey dissatisfied was highest.

To start with, the number of visitors to Ashdown Museum stood at 74,000 during the year before refurbishment. It then increased to 92,000 during the year after refurbishment.

On the other hand, visitor satisfaction year before refurbisment onlly 5% no response after remain unchanged. Moreover, before refurbisment was very satisfied 15% but after refurbisment it increased at 35% and before refurbisment satisfied and dissatisfied at 10% and 40% respectively. In addition, year before refurbisment 30% visitors satisfied, however year after refubisment the number increased 40% results of survey of visitor satisfication.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main visitor total correctly, reporting a rise from 74,000 to 92,000, and your overview notes that dissatisfaction was the largest category before refurbishment. You also include several survey figures, including the increase in “very satisfied” responses and the unchanged no-response share. However, the account is incomplete: it does not report the after-refurbishment figures for “dissatisfied” and “very dissatisfied,” and the comparison of satisfaction categories is difficult to follow. The overview could more clearly highlight the broad shift from dissatisfaction to satisfaction. The response is also below the required 150 words: it contains 135 words, with 16 words copied from the prompt excluded from the count. Add a concise comparison of the remaining categories and develop the overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of detail. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “To start with” and “Moreover” signal additions. However, progression is uneven. The final paragraph moves between the before- and after-refurbishment figures without a consistent order, and the sentence beginning “On the other hand” is difficult to interpret because several comparisons are compressed together. “However” also introduces a contrast where the figures actually show an increase in satisfaction. Group the survey results by period or by positive and negative responses, and use linking words only when their relationship is accurate. Clearer sentence boundaries and references would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “refurbishment,” “visitors,” “survey,” and “increased,” and the key topic remains understandable. However, the range is limited and some word choices or combinations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the report hard to read. For example, “visitor satisfaction year before refurbishment” lacks a natural grammatical phrase, while “increased at 35%” is not the appropriate collocation for describing a change to a figure. There are also repeated spelling errors, including “satisfiaction,” “refurbisment,” “Overll,” and “refubisment.” Use precise category labels consistently, such as “the proportion of visitors who were dissatisfied,” and check spelling before submitting. This would improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You produce some complete simple sentences, such as “It then increased to 92,000 during the year after refurbishment,” and use a subordinate clause in the overview. However, the range is limited, and several sentence structures are faulty or incomplete. For example, “visitor satisfaction year before refurbishment onlly 5% no response after remain unchanged” has no clear grammatical structure, while “before refurbishment was very satisfied 15%” does not clearly identify who or what the percentage describes. In “before refurbishment satisfied and dissatisfied at 10% and 40% respectively,” the sentence also lacks a clear subject and verb. Build comparisons with a clear subject and verb—for example, “The share who were very satisfied rose from 15% to 35%”—and check articles, tense, and punctuation.

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

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