Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-14

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 illustrates the difference in the number of visitors to Ashdown Museum before and after its renovation. While bar chart compares the level of satisfaction during the same period. Overall, it is clear that number of visitors after refurbishment increased significantly. Before the development, largest proportion of visitors were dissatisfied. Satisfaction level increased after modification of the museum.

In detail, total number of visitors increased from 74,000 to 92,000 after renovation of museum.

Looking at the bar chart, prior to refurbishment, dissatisfied visitors accounted for 40%. Second leading category belonged to satisfied customers and stood at 30%. 15% of visitors were just satisfied. No response to survey was at 5%. Dissatisfied accounted for 10%.

Satisfaction significantly increased after renovation of museum and hold the largest share of 40%. Decline in dissatisfaction can be seen from 40% to 15% after transformation. Customers extremely satisfied constituted 35% of total share. On the other hand, visitors not interested in survey and unhappy were at the same share that is 5%.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the data, including the overall increase in visitor numbers and the shift in satisfaction levels. You provided clear comparisons between the two periods. However, the report contains some inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you mention '15% of visitors were just satisfied' and 'Dissatisfied accounted for 10%' when referring to the pre-refurbishment data, which does not align with the provided chart categories. Additionally, the description of the post-refurbishment satisfaction levels is slightly confusing in its phrasing. To improve, ensure that every figure cited is precisely extracted from the source material and that the labels for categories are clearly defined to avoid ambiguity.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized into an introduction, a body paragraph for the table, and a body paragraph for the charts. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Overall', 'In detail', and 'On the other hand', to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where referencing is unclear, such as the sentence 'While bar chart compares the level of satisfaction during the same period', which is a sentence fragment. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each sentence is complete will help create a smoother progression of ideas throughout the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'refurbishment', 'proportion', 'constituted', and 'transformation'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'hold the largest share' (should be 'held') and 'no response to survey was at 5%'. There is also a tendency to repeat certain words like 'visitors' and 'satisfaction'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms and ensure that collocations are natural. For example, instead of saying 'no response to survey', you could use 'the percentage of visitors who did not respond'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles (e.g., 'While bar chart', 'before the development', 'after renovation of museum'). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'Satisfaction... hold the largest share' instead of 'held'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. Focusing on the correct use of articles and ensuring consistent verb tenses will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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