Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-08

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 illsutrates the number of visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year before and the yaer after it was refurbished, while the charts show the result of surveys asking visitors how satisfied they were with their visit.

Overall, it is clear that the total number of visitors increased significantly after the refurbishment of Ashdown Museum. Meanwhile, the proportion of very satisfied visitors increased and very dissatisfied decreased.

Looking first at the total number of visitors to Ashdown Museum, the figure stood at 74,000 during the year before refurbishment. The total number of visitors rose from 74,000 to 92,000 after the refurbishment of Museum.

Turning to the results of surveys of visitor satisfaction, the proportion of very satisfied visitors increased from 15 to 35. Likewise, the number of satisfied visitors rose from 30 to 40. In contrast, the share of dissatisfied visitors dropped dramatically from 40 to 15. Similarly, very dissatisfied visitors decreased from 10 to 5, whereas the number of visitors with no response remained same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main features accurately: visitor numbers rose from 74,000 to 92,000, satisfaction increased overall, and dissatisfaction fell. The overview identifies the rise in very satisfied visitors and fall in very dissatisfied visitors, while the body gives relevant figures for all five response categories. However, the overview could compare the overall balance more explicitly—for example, that dissatisfied responses were the largest group before refurbishment, whereas satisfied responses became the largest afterwards. The response also falls short of the required 150 words: it contains 141 words, and the 27 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. This limits how fully you can develop the comparisons, although the information included is relevant and generally accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs separating visitor totals from survey results. Sequencing phrases such as “Looking first” and “Turning to” help guide the reader, and contrast markers including “In contrast” and “whereas” make comparisons easy to follow. However, the first body paragraph repeats the same visitor increase: it gives the starting figure and then restates the rise from 74,000 to 92,000. This uses space without adding information. Some linking is also formulaic, with several sentences following the same pattern of reporting one category and then another. Combine repeated information and organise the satisfaction figures around the overall shift from dissatisfaction to satisfaction.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a suitable range of task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “share,” “increased,” “dropped dramatically,” and “remained,” and the meaning is generally clear. There is some useful variation in how you describe the survey figures. However, spelling errors in “illsutrates” and “yaer” detract from accuracy, and “the number of visitors with no response” is less precise than describing the percentage or share of respondents. The phrase “after the refurbishment of Museum” is also awkwardly expressed. Aim for accurate spelling and consistent, precise terms for percentages and survey categories; this would make the vocabulary more controlled and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a subordinate clause in the opening sentence and contrast structures such as “whereas the number of visitors with no response remained same.” Most sentences communicate the intended comparisons clearly. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain: “after the refurbishment of Museum” needs an article or possessive form, and “remained same” requires “the same.” The sentence “The total number of visitors rose from 74,000 to 92,000 after the refurbishment of Museum” also repeats the preceding figure and could be combined with it. Continue practising articles and fixed grammatical patterns, while varying sentence structures to report comparisons concisely.

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

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