Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-06

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 gives information about Ashdown Museum before and after the refurbishment year, and how the visitors were satisfied during the same periods.

Overall, before the refurbishment of Museum the satisfied public was less in numbers, in a comparison with the year after refurbishment, the satisfied number of visitors increased by 10 after refurbishment.

Initially, the total number of visitors before the year of refurbishment was 74,000. The visitors with the dissatisfied rate was prominent by 40%. In addition 30% of the community was satisfied. Whereas, the visiors with no response, very dissatisfied and very satisfied contain the rest 30%.

In the next year after the refurbishment, the visitors increased by 92,000. The visitors with the satisfied ratio were at 40%. Addition, the community with very stisfied were at 35%. Dissatisfied visitors contain 15% proportion of the Meseum.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main comparison: visitor numbers rose from 74,000 to 92,000, and satisfaction improved after refurbishment. You also report several key percentages accurately, including 40% dissatisfied and 30% satisfied before, and 40% satisfied and 15% dissatisfied afterwards. However, the overview is unclear and says the “satisfied number” increased by 10, without specifying percentage points or distinguishing the satisfied categories. The after-refurbishment total is described as visitors “increased by 92,000,” rather than reaching 92,000. You omit the important rise in very satisfied visitors from 15% to 35%, and do not report the 5% very dissatisfied figure after refurbishment. The response is also below the required 150 words. Include a clearer overview and complete the main comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the two periods. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Initially” and “In the next year” signal a change in time. However, progression within paragraphs is limited, and several details are presented as short, disconnected statements. “Whereas” begins a fragment rather than linking a complete contrast, while “In addition” and “Addition” are used mechanically. The overview also repeats the idea of increased satisfaction without clearly setting out the main pattern. Group the figures into meaningful comparisons—for example, satisfaction versus dissatisfaction—and use linking expressions to show how the categories changed between periods.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “refurbishment,” “dissatisfied,” “satisfied,” and “proportion,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural: “satisfied public,” “dissatisfied rate,” and “visitors increased by 92,000” do not express the data precisely. “Community” is also unsuitable for museum visitors, and “contain the rest 30%” is awkward. Spelling errors such as “visiors,” “stisfied,” and “Meseum” further reduce accuracy. Aim for standard chart language such as “the proportion of visitors who were dissatisfied” and “visitor numbers rose to 92,000,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “Whereas” and a sentence beginning “In addition.” However, control is inconsistent, and some structures are incomplete or difficult to follow. “Whereas, the visiors … contain the rest 30%” is not a complete independent sentence, and “the satisfied number of visitors increased by 10 after refurbishment” has an unclear grammatical relationship between the subject and the comparison. There are also errors in articles and noun phrases, as in “before the refurbishment of Museum,” and in agreement or verb choice, as in “the visitors … contain.” Use complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check articles and tense patterns when describing the two periods.

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