Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-23

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 chart illustrates the result of surveys asking visitors how they were satisfied with their visit during the two periods including year before refurbishment and year after refurbishment. There are five categories including very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied and no response. In the year before refurbishment total number of visitors is 74,000. Results of the survey before refurbishment includes 15 perecent were very satisfied, 30 percent were satisfied, 40 percent were dissatisfied, 10 percent were very dissatisfied and 15 percent shows no response.

Result of survey after refurbishment show 35 percent very satisfied, 40 percent satisfied, 15 percent dissatisfied, 5 percent very dissatisfied and 5 percent shows no response.

According to the chart before and after the refurbishment show more satisfaction is seen in after. visitors are not satisfied before refurbishment as shown by the chart. So the satisfaction is influenced by the refurbishment and the satisfaction is increade due to this.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report most of the survey figures accurately and identify the main change: satisfaction was higher after refurbishment. However, the overview is brief and the response does not clearly bring together the two key features: visitor numbers rose from 74,000 to 92,000, while the balance of satisfaction shifted markedly. One figure is inaccurate: before refurbishment, 5% gave no response, not 15%; this also makes the reported percentages total more than 100%. The final claim that refurbishment influenced satisfaction goes beyond what the charts prove; describe the observed change rather than asserting its cause. A clearer overview and accurate selection of the main comparisons would make the summary more complete and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: it introduces the survey categories, gives the before figures, then the after figures, and ends with a comparison. This makes the information generally understandable. However, the organisation is not fully effective because the visitor totals are mentioned only for the first period, and the overview is left until the end rather than clearly signposted. Linking phrases such as “According to the chart” and “So” are repetitive or imprecise, while the final sentences repeat the idea that satisfaction increased. Group the visitor totals and survey results into clear paragraphs, then use a concise overview followed by selected comparisons. This would create a more consistent progression and clearer connections between points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “refurbishment,” “categories,” “survey,” and the satisfaction labels, so the reader can follow the topic. However, the range is limited and several phrases are awkward or repetitive, such as “the result of surveys asking visitors how they were satisfied” and “more satisfaction is seen in after.” “Shows” is also repeated when reporting percentages, and “increade” is misspelled. Aim for more precise reporting language and natural collocations, for example, “the proportion of visitors who were satisfied rose.” Avoid repeating the same wording across the two periods, and check spelling carefully. These changes would make the description clearer and more appropriate to an academic chart summary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences use simple structures, and the figures are usually presented in a form that is understandable. However, grammatical errors occur frequently, and attempts to form longer sentences are not consistently controlled. For example, “The chart illustrates the result … during the two periods including year before refurbishment and year after refurbishment” has an awkward, incomplete construction, while “Results of the survey before refurbishment includes” has a subject–verb agreement error. The sentence beginning “According to the chart before and after…” is also difficult to parse because its opening phrase is not connected clearly to the main clause. Practise accurate articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, and use a small range of controlled comparison structures.

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