Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-05

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 5.0)

The table shows the number of visitors to Ashdown Museum. There are two charts first chart shows the year before the refurbishment and second chart shows the result after refurbishment. Total number of the visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year before refurbishment were 74000. The total number of visitors after the refurbishment were 92000.

Before the refurbishment 15 percent people were very satisfied. The satisfied people were 30 percent. There were 40 percent people that are dissatisfied. 10 percent people were very dissatisfied. About 5 percent people were not responsed.

After the refurbishment 35 percent people were very satisfied. 40 percent people were satisfied. 15 percent people were dissatisfied. The 5 percent people were very dissatisfied. About 5 percent people were not responsed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response only partially addresses the task requirements. First, the length requirement is not met, as the student's response contains only 116 words, falling significantly short of the 150-word minimum (with 8 words copied from the prompt left uncounted). While the student manages to report some basic details from the table and charts, such as the overall visitor numbers (74,000 and 92,000) and some survey percentages, the coverage remains limited and mechanical. Key comparisons between the two periods are largely missed, and there is no well-developed overview highlighting the main trends. The reporting relies heavily on listing individual data points rather than synthesising the information effectively, keeping this criterion at a lower band level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates some organisation, but it lacks a clear overall progression. The student attempts to group information by starting with the table data and then moving to the survey results, but the lack of paragraphing and sparse use of cohesive devices makes the writing feel disjointed. Sentences follow a repetitive structure, such as starting multiple sentences with 'The table shows', 'Before the refurbishment', and 'After the refurbishment', which creates a mechanical flow rather than a smooth, logical progression. Referencing and logical connectors between sentences are noticeably inadequate or missing entirely, preventing the essay from achieving a higher level of cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, relying heavily on repetitive phrasing drawn directly from the prompt. Words and phrases such as 'visitors', 'Ashdown Museum', 'refurbishment', 'satisfied', and 'dissatisfied' are repeated frequently without much variation. There are also noticeable word-form and spelling errors that affect the quality of the writing, such as writing 'not responsed' instead of 'no response' or 'did not respond'. While the basic meaning can generally be understood, the lack of a wider lexical range and the presence of these errors restrict the score to a basic level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response exhibits a very limited range of structures, consisting mostly of simple sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and preposition use, such as '15 percent people were' and 'The satisfied people were 30 percent'. Attempts at more complex structures are largely absent, and awkward phrasings like 'There were 40 percent people that are dissatisfied' demonstrate poor control over tense consistency and clause construction. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted grammatical repertoire.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.