Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-18

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 given table demonstrates the number of people visited the Ashdown Museum, a year before and after refurbishment while pie charts illustrate the various levels of satisfaction received by survey of visitors for both the years.

Overall the numbers of visitors who showed up after the maintenance are quite improved than the year before. Similarly their satisfaction level after refurbishment has increased significantly. The level of dissatisfaction is reduced by almost half once museum is refurbished.

The number of people who are very satisfied showed a very good increase from 15 to 35. In the same way visitors who are very dissatisfied has reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent. And the visitors who were dissatisfied were up to 40 percent before refurbishment, later on reduced to 15 percent once this is refurbished. The number of satisfied people reduces from 10 percent to 5 percent in the year after maintenance. The number of visitors who give no response remains same keeping 5 percent in both the years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview. You included the total visitor numbers and the satisfaction percentages, making relevant comparisons between the two periods. However, the response lacks precision in reporting the data from the table. You mention the visitor numbers increased, but you did not explicitly state the figures (74,000 to 92,000). Furthermore, there is a slight confusion in the data reporting; for example, you state 'satisfied people reduces from 10 percent to 5 percent', but the chart shows 'satisfied' (the second category) actually increased from 30% to 40%. Accuracy in data extraction is vital for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'In the same way', and 'later on'. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally mechanical, and the transition between the table data and the pie chart data could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the final paragraph is quite dense with statistics, which makes it slightly difficult to follow. Improving the use of referencing and varying your linking words would help the flow of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'refurbishment', 'satisfaction level', and 'dissatisfaction'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'numbers of people visited' (should be 'number of people who visited') and 'maintenance' (which is not synonymous with 'refurbishment' in this context). While you attempt to use some descriptive language, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'numbers of visitors who showed up after the maintenance are quite improved' (should be 'have improved') and 'visitors who were dissatisfied were up to 40 percent... later on reduced' (missing subject/verb agreement). Additionally, there are minor issues with articles and prepositions. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage when describing past data.

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

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