Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-13

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 tables shows the number of visitors to Ashdown Museum before and after the refurbishment. By just looking at the table, we clearly see a big defference in the number of visitors. There is a significant increase of 19,000 visitors during the year after refurbishment.

There are also charts given which are showing the results of surveys about visitors satisfaction of their visits to museum during two years.

If we carefully examine, we see that there is a significant increase in the visitors who are satisfied with the overall refurbishment and development of the museum. The number of satisfied visitors increased by 10 while the number of very satisfied happy visitors increased by 20. Also the visitors were not happy with their visit last year are now decreased by 25 in the year after refurbishment. There is also a significant decreased in the visitors who showed extreme dissatisfaction during last year visit. They have decreased by 5.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main direction of change: visitor numbers rose after refurbishment, satisfaction increased, and dissatisfaction fell. However, the visitor total is reported inaccurately: it rose from 74,000 to 92,000, an increase of 18,000, not 19,000. The survey comparisons are mostly accurate as changes in percentage points, but the response does not clearly state that the figures are percentages, and it omits the unchanged 5% with no response. There is also no concise overview that brings together the key pattern, such as the shift from mostly dissatisfied visitors before refurbishment to mostly satisfied visitors afterwards. These omissions and the limited development of the comparisons leave the task only partly addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable order: it first discusses visitor numbers and then turns to the satisfaction surveys. Phrases such as “There are also charts given” signal the change of topic, and “Also” helps connect related comparisons. However, the writing is arranged as a sequence of observations rather than a clearly shaped report, and there is no distinct overview to guide the reader through the main findings. Repeated openings such as “If we carefully examine” and “There is also” make the linking somewhat mechanical. Group the figures into a short introduction, an overview, and focused detail paragraphs, and use clearer references to the before-and-after percentages.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing change, including “significant increase,” “satisfied,” and “dissatisfaction,” so the main ideas remain understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward for a formal data report. “Big defference” is imprecise and misspelled, while “very satisfied happy visitors” is redundant. “Visitors who are satisfied with the overall refurbishment and development” also adds an interpretation not shown by the survey, which asked about satisfaction with the visit. Aim for concise, precise terms such as “visitor numbers,” “satisfaction levels,” and “fell by 25 percentage points.” Check spelling and avoid adding meanings that the chart does not support.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, for example, “If we carefully examine, we see that…” and “The number of satisfied visitors increased by 10 while…” This gives the response some structural variety, and the intended meaning is usually clear. However, some errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction remain. “The given tables shows” has a plural subject with a singular verb, and “visitors satisfaction” needs a possessive form or a different construction. In “the visitors were not happy with their visit last year are now decreased,” the clause structure and verb form are faulty. Practise building accurate comparisons with forms such as “the proportion of dissatisfied visitors fell from 40% to 15%.”

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