Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-20

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 shows figure of people who visited the Ashdown Museum during the year before the renovation and the year after it was renovated. The charts illustrate the feedback from the visitors who visited before the restoration and after when it was modernised.

In summary, the figure shows a greater number of people visited the museum after the renovation as compared to its previous structure. Most of the visitors were glad about the improvement. But some of them were still unhappy. However, some people don't submit their response before and after the refurbishment.

Year before restoration, only 74,000 spectators visited the museum in which only 15% of the people gladly travelled the gallery. Although, 30% of the visitors were also satisfied with the building. However, the proportion shows that 40% of the negative feedback were recorded from the tourists as they were unhappy. And some 10% of the people were really disappointed.

Year after the restoration, 92,000 people visited the museum which were higher as compared to year before restoration. Among these viewers, 35% of them were really pleased with the modernisation. The response from the 40% of the people were also positive who explored the museum. However, the figure shows 15% of the visitors were still seen unhappy after the renovation. And 10% of them were deeply disappointed. Although, 5% of the people didn't submit their response when it wasn't renovated and year after the renovation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features from both the table and the charts. The overall trends are correctly identified—specifically, the rise in total visitor numbers from 74,000 to 92,000 and the shift towards higher satisfaction ratings after refurbishment. Key data points are cited accurately, such as the percentages for very satisfied and dissatisfied visitors across both periods. However, there is a minor misinterpretation of data in the final paragraph regarding the 'no response' category ('5% of the people didn't submit their response when it wasn't renovated and year after'), where the student conflates the two separate 5% figures into a single event. Despite this, the selection and reporting of information are clear and largely accurate, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged coherently with a logical overall progression. It begins with an introduction paraphrasing the prompt, moves into an overview, and then details the specific data in separate paragraphs for the before and after periods. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different sections of the visual data. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'However' and 'Although' at the start of sentences (e.g., 'Although, 30% of the visitors...', 'However, the proportion shows...'). Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, which disrupts the flow. These features place the response firmly in Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'refurbishment', 'restoration', 'modernised', 'spectators', and 'proportion'. There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is sometimes accompanied by awkward word choices or minor errors, such as 'gladly travelled the gallery' instead of 'visited the museum' or 'viewers' instead of 'visitors'. Spelling is generally accurate, but some phrasing sounds unnatural ('the figure shows figure of people'). The lexical resource is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, aligning with Band 6 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses ('people who visited') and conditional/contrastive structures ('Although, 30% of the visitors were...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the figure shows figure of people'), dangling modifiers ('when it wasn't renovated and year after'), and incorrect prepositions. However, these errors rarely impede overall communication, and the meaning remains clear. The grammatical control is representative of Band 6.

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

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