Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-28

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 provided table depicts the number of people who visited to Ashdown Museum during the year before of renovation and after the year. While accompanying pie charts demonstrate the results of surveys by asking visitors how much they are satisfied or not during the same two periods.

Overall, it can be seen that most of the people visited after the refurbishment and the majority of people were dissatisfied before it. However, a great number of people represented satisfaction for museum's design after renovation.

Looking at the details, 74,000 people visited to the Ashdown Museum before the refurbishment. 40% of people showed dissatisfaction, whereas 30% represented satisfaction to its old design, while 15% of them were very satisfied, only 10% were very dissatisfied, and 5% of people gave no any response.

Responses of people after refurbishment, majority of the citizens were satisfied by new features, 40%. 35% of people were very satisfied. On the other hand, only 15% left with dissatisfied response. People who were extremely dissatisfied only left with 5%, and same goes for those people who did not comment on this.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task, including the table and the pie charts. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the increase in visitor numbers and the shift in satisfaction levels post-refurbishment. However, the overview is slightly weak; while you mention the increase in visitors, you could have more clearly contrasted the overall shift from dissatisfaction to satisfaction. The data reporting is generally accurate, though some figures are presented in a list-like fashion. To reach a higher band, ensure that comparisons are more integrated rather than just stating the percentages for each category sequentially. Overall, the response provides a clear summary of the key features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'On the other hand', to link ideas. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the visitor numbers and the survey results in the third paragraph is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'same goes for those people', which could be expressed more formally. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'refurbishment', 'dissatisfaction', and 'citizens'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, you wrote 'visited to Ashdown Museum' (the verb 'visit' does not take a preposition) and 'represented satisfaction' (a less natural collocation than 'expressed satisfaction'). There are also minor errors such as 'gave no any response', which is grammatically awkward. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoid redundant phrasing. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but lacks the precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Common issues include incorrect preposition usage ('visited to'), article misuse ('the year before of renovation'), and awkward phrasing ('no any response'). Some sentences are also slightly fragmented or lack proper subject-verb agreement. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to limit your score. To improve, pay closer attention to basic sentence construction and ensure that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and prepositional accuracy will help you achieve a higher band.

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

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