Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-12

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 displays how many visitors visited Ashdown Museum before and after refurbishment took place, while the pie charts present surveys result about the satisfaction of their visit during the same two years.

Overall, the number of visitors increased when the museum was refurbished and the figure for satisfied and very satisfied also increased.

The biggest change was with the numbers who were unsatisfied but later became satisfied.

Before refuribishment, total number of visitors were around 74000 and there was a significant increase to 92000 after refurbishment. Similarly, 40% of Ashdown visitor were unsatisfied, whereas just 15% individuals showed satisfaction but the figures changed after refurbishment to 15% and 35% respectively.

The figure for very dissatisfied also decreased to 5% which was 10% before refurbishment and the percentage of people who did not response remained unchanged.

Satisfied people percentage was around 30%, it increased to 40% after refurbishment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall trends: visitor numbers rose from 74,000 to 92,000, and satisfaction improved after refurbishment. Several key comparisons are also accurate, including dissatisfaction falling from 40% to 15%, very high satisfaction rising from 15% to 35%, and no response remaining at 5%. However, the overview’s claim that dissatisfied visitors “later became satisfied” implies that the same people changed their views, which the surveys do not establish. The account also repeats the 30% to 40% satisfied figure rather than developing other comparisons, and the distinction between satisfied and very satisfied is sometimes unclear. The response is two words below the required minimum. Include a fuller overview and report the categories precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the two periods. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Similarly,” and “whereas” help connect some comparisons. However, progression is limited: the final paragraph repeats the increase in the satisfied group already mentioned in the preceding paragraph, while the categories are not consistently grouped or compared. The sentence about people who were “unsatisfied but later became satisfied” also creates an unclear relationship between separate survey results. Organise the details into a clear before-and-after comparison, covering the positive responses together and then the negative responses, and avoid repeating figures. This would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the charts, including “increased,” “decreased,” “percentage,” and “remained unchanged,” so the main information is generally understandable. There is some variation in how you refer to the data, but several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “surveys result” and “did not response” do not express the intended meaning accurately, while “unsatisfied” is less suitable than the chart’s category “dissatisfied.” “The biggest change was with the numbers” is also vague. Spelling errors such as “refuribishment” are noticeable. Aim for precise chart terminology and check word forms and spelling; this will make your comparisons clearer and more appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a clause beginning “while.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction occur across the response. For example, “total number of visitors were” should use a singular verb, and “40% of Ashdown visitor were” has problems with the article, plural noun, and agreement. The sentence “Satisfied people percentage was around 30%, it increased to 40%” joins two independent clauses with only a comma. There is also inconsistent control of sentence patterns in the overview. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and articles, and use a full stop or a conjunction to join complete clauses.

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