Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-02

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 represents the number of people who has visited Ashdown Museum during this year and the year after it was renovated. The pie charts portray the result of how the visitors have expressed their experience of their visit in the both time frame.

Overall, the table shows that the number of visitors after the refurbishment is higher than the number of visitors before the refurbishment. The pie charts clearly portray that the amount of satisfaction is higher in the year the museum was refurbished. But there is a noticable amount of dissatisfaction in the year before the refurbishment.

From the table, the amount of people visited in the year after the refurbishment is 92000, whereas the amount was 74000 before the refurbishment. This shows the signifacnce of the refurbishment that the museum needed.

The first pie chart represents people's satisfaction survey in the year before refurbishment. The proportion of dissatisfied is higher than the satisfied

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main increase in museum attendance, reporting 74,000 before and 92,000 after refurbishment, and your overview recognises a general improvement in satisfaction. However, the survey data are only partly covered: the response stops after saying dissatisfaction was higher before refurbishment and gives no figures or comparison for the after-refurbishment categories. The overview also says satisfaction was higher after refurbishment without clarifying that the combined satisfied and very satisfied share rose from 45% to 75%, while dissatisfaction fell from 50% to 20%. The claim that the figures show the refurbishment was needed is an interpretation rather than a feature shown by the table. Cover both charts and select the key changes to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs intended to describe the table and survey charts. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph ends after one comparison, leaving the survey discussion incomplete. Some linking and reference are also repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “the refurbishment” and “the year before refurbishment.” The overview’s broad statement about satisfaction is not followed by the specific comparisons needed to develop it. Organise the details into a complete comparison of before and after, and use clear links such as “by contrast” or “following the renovation” where they help show relationships.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “visitors,” “refurbishment,” “proportion,” “satisfaction,” and “dissatisfaction,” so the main subject is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive. “The amount of people” is not a natural way to describe a count; use “the number of visitors.” “The result of how the visitors have expressed their experience” is wordy and imprecise; “survey results on visitor satisfaction” is more direct. There are also spelling errors in “noticable” and “signifacnce.” Aim for concise, accurate chart language and vary repeated references to the refurbishment and visitor numbers.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some longer sentence forms, including the contrast in “whereas the amount was 74000 before the refurbishment,” and most of the intended meaning can be understood. However, errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction are noticeable. In the opening, “the number of people who has visited” should be “the number of people who visited” or “who have visited”; “in the both time frame” should be “in both time periods.” The phrase “the amount of people visited” also needs a grammatical structure such as “the number of people who visited.” The final sentence, “the proportion of dissatisfied is higher than the satisfied,” is incomplete in its comparison and needs a noun, for example “the proportion of dissatisfied visitors was higher than that of satisfied visitors.” Check agreement and make comparisons parallel.

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