Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-22

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 depicts that how many people have visited to Ashdown Museum during years, before and after renovation. While the pie charts illustrates survey results among five parameters for same years.

Overall, the number of visitors has increased significantly after refurbishment. The satisfaction of visitors also has been increased dramatically, however, no response from visitors remains same even after upgradation.

A year before refurbishment, total number of visitors were 74,000. For the same year, results of survey show that the major proportion is held by dissatisfied (40%), followed by satisfied and very satisfied, which are 30% and 15% respectively. While very dissatisfied contributed 10%, with least contribution came from no response 5%.

After renovation, satisfied peaks at 40%, followed by very satisfied which is 35%. There's drastic decline to dissatisfied which is now only 15%. However, very dissatisfied

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main overall trends accurately: visitor numbers rose after refurbishment, and satisfaction improved while the no-response share stayed at 5%. You also report the before-refurbishment figures correctly and give the after-refurbishment satisfaction and dissatisfaction figures. However, the response ends mid-sentence after “very dissatisfied”, so the after-period account is incomplete; it does not state the 5% figure or repeat the total of 92,000 visitors. The overview is relevant but broad, and the comparison of the two periods is not fully developed. The response is also 12 words below the required minimum. To address the task more fully, complete the final comparison and include the key visitor total alongside the survey changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the two periods. This helps the reader follow the basic sequence from before to after refurbishment. Linking expressions such as “Overall”, “For the same year” and “After renovation” also signal the stages of the description. However, the final paragraph is cut off at “However, very dissatisfied”, leaving the comparison unfinished and weakening the progression. Some connections are awkward or unclear, particularly “While the pie charts illustrates” and the sentence beginning “While very dissatisfied contributed”. Use complete sentences and connect the figures more directly—for example, contrast the two dissatisfaction categories with their after-refurbishment values—to make the organisation more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “refurbishment”, “survey”, “proportion”, “decline” and “contributed”. These choices show an attempt to describe data rather than simply list figures, and the meaning is generally understandable. Some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “visited to Ashdown Museum”, “satisfaction … has been increased” and “satisfied peaks” do not fit the intended meaning or collocation. “Five parameters” is also imprecise for the five response categories. Aim for standard chart-description phrases such as “the number of visitors”, “the satisfaction level rose” and “the largest share was”. This would make the vocabulary more precise and natural while retaining the useful range already attempted.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “While” and a summary sentence beginning “Overall”. The main figures and trends can usually be understood, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “depicts that how many people have visited” has an incorrect clause structure, and “the pie charts illustrates” has subject–verb disagreement. There are also problems with articles and number agreement in “total number of visitors were 74,000”, while “satisfaction … has been increased” uses an unsuitable verb form. The unfinished final sentence also prevents a complete grammatical structure. Practise accurate noun phrases and reporting patterns, such as “The table shows the number of visitors” and “The total was 74,000”, then check agreement and sentence completion.

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