Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-30

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 4.5)

The table below shows the numbers of visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year before refurbishment there were 30% people who were satisfied because they were happy.

Then 15% people were very satisfied because they were very happy and there were 40% people who were dissatisfied because they were not happy and there were 10% guys who were very dissatisfied and then 5% people who gave no response.

According to the table below shows the numbers of visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year after refurbishment there were 40% people who were satisfied because they were happy.

Then 35% people who were very satisfied because they were very happy and there were 15% people who were dissatisfied because they were not happy, and there were 5% people who were very dissatisfied and then also 5% people who gave no response.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You report the satisfaction percentages accurately for both periods, including the unchanged 5% who gave no response. However, the response does not report the table’s visitor totals (74,000 before and 92,000 after), and it gives no clear overview of the main changes—for example, that visitor numbers rose and satisfaction improved overall. The repeated explanations such as “because they were happy” do not add information from the charts. The response is also 111 words, below the required 150 words, which limits how fully you can select and summarise the key features. Include the totals, compare the main shifts, and avoid simply listing every category.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic chronological structure: the first paragraph covers the year before refurbishment and the second covers the year after. This makes the two periods identifiable, and words such as “Then” help signal the sequence of figures. However, the information is presented as repetitive lists rather than grouped into a clear overview and supporting comparisons. The repeated opening, “The table below shows…,” is also awkward and does not help the progression. Organise the response around the overall changes, then compare related categories—for instance, the rise in satisfied responses against the fall in dissatisfied responses. Use linking phrases selectively so the relationships between figures are clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use the key chart terms “satisfied,” “very satisfied,” “dissatisfied,” and “no response” accurately, so the reader can identify the categories being reported. However, the vocabulary is basic and repetitive, with “people” and “happy” repeated several times. Phrases such as “because they were happy” are informal and interpret the categories rather than describing the data precisely; “guys” is especially unsuitable for an academic report. Use a more varied set of reporting expressions and precise terms such as “visitors,” “respondents,” “proportion,” and “accounted for.” This would make the summary more concise and appropriately formal without changing the figures.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Your meaning is generally understandable, and you use simple past-tense reporting consistently through phrases such as “there were” and “gave no response.” However, the sentence structures are repetitive and often run together: the first paragraph strings several figures together with “and then,” while the second repeats the same pattern. The opening “According to the table below shows…” is not a complete, well-formed construction; use either “The table shows…” or “According to the table, …”. There is little variety in sentence forms, and punctuation does not consistently separate the listed information. Practise writing shorter, controlled comparison sentences, such as “The dissatisfied share fell from 40% to 15%.”

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

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