Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18
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 and pie charts show the number of visitors to ashdown museum and their statisfication levels before and after the museum was refurbished .
overall, the number of visitors increased after the refurbishmemt . Also visitors statisfication improved, while the number of dissatisfied visitors decreased.
Before the refurbishment,the museum had 74,000 visitors . After the refurbishment,this number increased to 92,000, which was 18,000 more visitors . this show that the museum became more popular after the changes.
looking atthe satisfaction levels,before the refurbishment,15% of visitors were very satisfied and 30% were satisfied. therefore, 45%of visitors were satisfied in total .in contrast,40% were dissatisfied and 10% were very dissatisfied.The remaning 5% gave no response.
after, the refurbishment,the situation was quite different.The percentage of very satisfied very increased from 15%to35%,while statisfied visitors rose from 30% to 40%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student addresses the main features of the visual data, correctly reporting the visitor numbers (74,000 rising to 92,000) and the primary survey outcomes before and after the refurbishment. An overview is present, highlighting the general increase in visitor numbers and satisfaction. However, the response is incomplete because it cuts off mid-sentence at the end, failing to fully report all aspects of the charts (such as the dissatisfied categories for the second period). Furthermore, the word count is 136 words, which fails to meet the 150-word minimum requirement. This results in a negative penalty for task completion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a basic overall arrangement, starting with an introductory sentence, an overview, and subsequent body paragraphs detailing the table and chart data. Cohesive devices such as 'Before the refurbishment', 'After the refurbishment', and 'in contrast' are used to connect ideas. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, with some ideas clumped together, and the abrupt ending disrupts the logical progression of the response. Referencing is generally clear, but the mechanical nature of the transitions limits higher band placement.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, incorporating terms like 'refurbished', 'increase', 'satisfaction levels', and 'percentage'. However, there are multiple spelling and typographical errors throughout the text, including 'ashdown', 'statisfication' (repeated multiple times), 'refurbishmemt', 'teling', and 'remaning'. Word choice is generally simple and repetitive, though sufficient to convey the basic message. The lexical control is affected by these recurring misspellings and lack of precise academic synonyms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'After the refurbishment, this number increased to 92,000, which was 18,000 more visitors.' Grammatical control is mixed; there are notable punctuation and capitalization errors, such as missing capital letters at the beginning of sentences ('overall', 'looking', 'therefore', 'after') and spacing issues around commas and periods. While basic structures are generally accurate, the frequency of punctuation errors and the unfinished final sentence pull the score to this level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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