Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-28

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 5.0)

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

Overall, returning trend experienced decreasing trend, while first time visitor experienced significant increase throughout the years.

Looking at the details, returning visitors started with about 3000 in 2000 and showed steady increase throughout the years and peaked on 15000 in 2006, before plunging down to about 13000 in 2008.

On the other hand, first time visitors started with 8000 in 2000 and fell to 4000 in 2002 and rise sharply to about 12000 in 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The student has attempted to summarise the main features of the line graph, correctly identifying the overall trends for both first-time and returning visitors. Key data points such as the initial and final figures are mentioned, for instance, 'returning visitors started with about 3000 in 2000' and 'first time visitors started with 8000 in 2000'. However, the overview contains a factual inaccuracy regarding the overall trend, stating that returning visitors 'experienced decreasing trend' when they actually showed an overall upward trajectory from 3000 to 13400. Furthermore, the response severely falls short of the word count requirement, containing only 96 words compared to the minimum of 150. This places the task achievement score at band 4.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text is divided into four short paragraphs, representing an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. This basic structure demonstrates a logical attempt to organise the response. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the details', and 'On the other hand' are employed to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and progression are sometimes disjointed due to the brevity of the response, and cohesive devices are rather formulaic. Paragraphing is present, but the overall development is limited by the short length of the text. This aligns with the descriptors for Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to convey basic information about the graph, using terms such as 'fluctuate', 'steadily increase', 'peaked', and 'plunging down'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'returning trend experienced decreasing trend' (where 'returning visitors' is meant) and grammatical collocation slips like 'peaked on 15000' instead of 'peaked at'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the range of vocabulary remains limited and repetitive, which is characteristic of Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The line graph illustrate...' and 'returning visitors started with about 3000 in 2000 and showed steady increase...'. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The line graph illustrate'), missing articles ('experienced decreasing trend' instead of 'an overall decreasing trend'), and missing prepositions. While meaning is mostly clear despite these errors, the high frequency of basic mistakes prevents the score from reaching a higher band. Therefore, a band score of 5.0 is appropriate.

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

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