Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-13

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The line graph shows the number of first time visitors and returning visitors who visited Caryl Island from 2000 to 2008.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The line graph shows the number of first time visitors and returning visitors who visited Caryl Island from 2000 to 2008.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In the year 2000 the number of first time visitors were greater than that of returning visitors. In 2001 an increase was seen in returning visitors, intersecting with first time visitors. However, first time visitors were declining. At 2002 first time visitor rates was at an all time lowest at 4000. Since 2000 to 2006 there has been a notable increase in both first time and returning visitors. At 2008 the number of returning visitors was at a all time highest. From 2006 to 2008 the returning visitor rate has been declining. However, the first time visitor rate has been at a stady increase.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant features, including the initial advantage for first-time visitors, the low point of 4,000 in 2002, and the contrasting movement after 2006. However, the account is incomplete and contains important inaccuracies: the lines do not intersect in 2001, and returning visitors reached their peak in 2006, not 2008. The overview is also missing, so the main contrast—that returning visitors rose sharply before falling, while first-time visitors recovered and continued upward—is not clearly summarised. The response is 104 words, below the required 150, which limits how fully you can select and report the key information. Include a concise overview and support it with accurate comparisons and selected figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a broadly chronological order, so the reader can trace the account from 2000 towards 2008. You also use basic linking words such as “However” and “Since,” and the contrast between the two visitor groups is sometimes signalled. However, the ideas are presented as one continuous sequence without a clear overview or paragraphing, and the progression is weakened by the inaccurate reference to an intersection in 2001. Some links are also awkward: “Since 2000 to 2006” does not clearly express the time period. Organise the response into an introduction, an overview, and detail paragraphs, and use time references and contrast markers precisely to make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “increase,” “declining,” “all time lowest,” and “steady increase.” These choices make the general direction of change understandable, and you attempt to vary your wording with “number” and “rate.” However, some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for graph description: “intersecting with” is used for a crossing that did not occur, while “visitor rates” is less suitable when the graph reports numbers of visitors. There are also spelling and form errors, notably “stady” and “a all time highest.” Choose precise terms such as “figure,” “number,” “peak,” and “fell,” and check spelling and collocations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple statements and more developed clauses, including “However, first time visitors were declining,” and the meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with subject–verb agreement and articles: “the number … were greater” should be “the number … was greater,” and “at a all time highest” needs a different article structure. The time expressions are also not consistently formed; “Since 2000 to 2006” should be “From 2000 to 2006.” Most sentences are short and follow similar patterns, so the range is limited. Practise combining accurate comparisons with clauses using “while” or “whereas,” and check agreement, articles, and tense consistency.

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