Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-10

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 total number of visitors to Ashdown Museum during and after refurbishment. The pie charts depict the results of surveys of visitor satisfaction year before and after refurbishment. The satisfaction of visitors categories into five areas as: very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied, and no response.

Overall, it is evident that the number of visitors to Ashdown Museum increased after refurbishment. Moreover, pie charts show that majority of visitors were dissatisfied by the results of surveys a year before refurbishment, while a year after refurbishment majority of tourists were very dissatisfied. Subsequently, it is recorded that there was no response from visitors about the survey a year before refurbishment, whereas after refurbishment a few members were very dissatisfied and a few didn't give response about survey.

The table showed that the number of visitors was 74000 during the year before refurbishment. However, the number rose dramatically to 92000 during the year after refurbishment.

The pie charts illustrate that majority of tourists about 40% were dissatisfied from the results of surveys a year before refurbishment, the proposal of dissatisfied visitors reduced significantly to 15% after refurbishment. In Contrast, the percentage of satisfied and very satisfied tourists was 30% and 15 before refurbishment, it grew to 40% and 35 after refurbishment respectively. The proportion for no responsers remained unchanged during both periods. However, the proportion of very dissatisfied visitors dipped slightly from 10% before refurbishment to 5% after refurbishment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

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. However, there is a significant factual error in your summary: you state that 'a year after refurbishment majority of tourists were very dissatisfied,' which contradicts the data provided in the charts. This misinterpretation of the visual information affects the accuracy of your report. To improve, ensure you carefully cross-reference your written summary with the provided data to avoid such contradictions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on the table and charts respectively. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover,' 'Subsequently,' and 'In Contrast' to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or misused, such as 'Subsequently' to introduce a point about survey responses. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, making the flow of information feel a bit disjointed in the second paragraph. Improving the variety and naturalness of your linking words will help achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'refurbishment,' 'proportion,' and 'significantly.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the proposal of dissatisfied visitors' (likely meaning 'proportion') and 'dissatisfied from the results' (should be 'dissatisfied with'). There are also minor errors like 'no responsers' instead of 'non-respondents.' While these do not impede communication, they limit the precision of your writing. Expanding your range of academic vocabulary and focusing on correct collocations will enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'The satisfaction of visitors categories into five areas' (should be 'categorized') and '15 before refurbishment' (missing the percentage sign). There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement throughout the text. Although these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to keep the score in the 6.0 range. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be beneficial.

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

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