Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-07

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 number of people visited Ashdown Museum before and after it was refurbished and the pie charts are showing the result of surveys asking visitors how satisfied they were with their visit before and after the refurbishment. Before refurbishment of the museum, we can see a large number of people who were not satisfied but after the museum got refurbished that huge number saw a decrease.

After the museum got refurbished, more people visited that year with an increase in number of 18 thousand compared to the year before refurbishment. The chart shows that many people who were dissatisfied and very dissatisfied having 40% and 30% respectively. The percentage of the people who were satisfied was very less at about 10% and 15% of the people were very satisfied.

There was no response from 5% of the people before and after refurbishment. The percentage of the people who were satisfied rose about 10% more and many people got very satisfied from the refurbishment increasing 20% more. While the people who are dissatisfied and very dissatisfied decreased with 25% and 5% respectively proved in the survey.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall changes: visitor numbers rose from 74,000 to 92,000, and dissatisfaction fell after refurbishment. You also report several survey figures, including the unchanged 5% with no response. However, the figures are misread in places: before refurbishment, 40% were dissatisfied and 10% very dissatisfied, not 40% and 30%; after refurbishment, the satisfied share was 40%, not an increase of about 10% from 10%. The overview is also brief and does not clearly summarise the shift from predominantly dissatisfied responses to predominantly satisfied ones. Select the key figures accurately and compare both satisfaction categories across the two periods to make the report more complete and clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has some organisation: it introduces the visuals, discusses visitor numbers and survey results, and ends with changes in satisfaction. Basic links such as “After” and “While” help show comparison. However, the progression is not consistently clear. The second paragraph gives the before-refurbishment satisfaction figures without clearly identifying them as such, and the final paragraph repeats some information rather than building a structured comparison. “The chart shows” also leaves the reader to infer which period is being discussed. Organise the report into a clear introduction, an overview, and paragraphs comparing visitor totals and survey results; use explicit references such as “before refurbishment” and “after refurbishment” throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the visuals, including “increase,” “decrease,” “percentage,” “dissatisfied” and “refurbished,” so the main topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and some choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “a large number of people who were not satisfied” and “that huge number saw a decrease.” “The percentage … was very less” is also an awkward expression. More precise reporting language would help you describe proportions and changes without relying on general phrases such as “many people.” Aim for accurate collocations and vary terms such as “share,” “proportion,” “rose” and “fell” while keeping the meaning exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including “After the museum got refurbished, more people visited that year…” and a contrast beginning “While…”. The main comparisons can usually be understood, but errors in sentence construction and verb forms reduce accuracy. For example, “the pie charts are showing” is an awkward tense choice for describing static data, and “many people who were dissatisfied and very dissatisfied having 40%” lacks a complete grammatical structure. The final sentence beginning “While the people…” is also a fragment, while “increasing 20% more” is not formed clearly. Use present simple for chart descriptions and check that each sentence has a complete main clause and a clear subject–verb structure.

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