Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-21
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)
Ashdown Museum was refurbished last year. During the year before refurbishment the total number of visitors who visited the Ashdown Museum was 74,000. The organisation of museum decided to refurbished the museum, so it should be more comfortable and informative for the visitors.
Durind the year after refurbishment of the museum the number of vistors who visit the museum has been increased to the number of 92,000.
People have different opinions about thee refurbishment. Year before the the refurbishment surveys showed the 40 percent of visitors were dissatisfied with the refurbishment while the 30 percent of visitors were satisfied with the museum. Moreover 15 percent of visitors had a great experience with the museum before refurbishment and 10 percent of the visitors were very dissatisfied by the management of the museum and the remaining 5 percent of vicitors showed no response about the museum.
After the year of refurbishment 40 percent of people were satistied by the museum and 35 percent had a very great experience with museum. While the 15 percent of the visitors not enjoyed the services of museum and showed a bad response about the museum. 5 percent of visitors had extremely bad experience and were very dissatisfied with the refurbishment. Moreover 5 percent of visitors showed no response about the museom.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the prompt by reporting both the visitor numbers (74,000 before and 92,000 after) and the survey results for satisfaction levels in both periods. Key features are selected, such as the increase in total visitor numbers and the shifts in satisfaction categories (e.g., very satisfied rising from 15% to 35%, and dissatisfaction dropping). However, the analysis is somewhat descriptive rather than deeply analytical, and there are minor interpretative slips, such as stating people were dissatisfied 'with the refurbishment' before it had happened. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, meriting a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is arranged with an introduction, a paragraph on visitor numbers, and separate paragraphs for the survey results before and after refurbishment, providing a clear overall progression. Paragraphing is attempted, though paragraph breaks are sometimes abrupt. Cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Moreover', 'While', 'After the year of refurbishment'), but referencing is occasionally mechanical or repetitive. For instance, sentences frequently start with 'percent of visitors' or 'percent of people', leading to a formulaic feel. Progression is clear enough to follow the data easily, supporting a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to report figures and percentages accurately. There are several spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'refurbished' used instead of 'refurbishment', 'Durind' for 'During', 'vistors' for 'visitors', 'thee' for 'the', and 'satistied' for 'satisfied'. Attempts at less common vocabulary lead to awkward phrasing, such as 'had a great experience with the museum' or 'not enjoyed the services'. While communication is not severely impeded, these frequent errors keep the lexical score at a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Year before the the refurbishment surveys showed the 40 percent of visitors were dissatisfied...' However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including missing articles ('the year before refurbishment'), incorrect prepositions ('dissatisfied by the management'), and tense inconsistencies ('has been increased'). Punctuation and word forms also show frequent lapses. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar at a Band 5.0 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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