Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-04

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.

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)

The line graph illustrates the number of first time visitors and returning visitors to caryl island between 2000 and 2008.

Overall, it can be seen that the number of first time visitors decreased considerably at the begning of the period before rising steadily from 2002 onwards. In contrast, the number of returning visitors experienced a sharp increase, reaching a peak in 2006, followed by a slight decline. Ntotably, returning visitors represented highest number of vistors than first time visitors from 2002.

In 2002, approximately 8,000 people visited carly island for the first time, compared with only 3,000 returning visitors. However, the number of first time visitors fell sharply to arround 4,000 in 2002, while number of returning visitors rose to 10,000 in 2002.

In 2002 to 2008, first time visitors showed a consistent upward trend. The figure increased about 4,000 in 2002 to 6,000 in 2004, before reaching approximately 9,000 in 2006 and 11,500 in 2008. Meanwhile, returning visitors contined to grow from 10,000 in 2002 to 12,000 in 2004, and them reached a peak of 15,000 in 2006. however, It fell to arround 12,000 in 2008. Despite the decline,it represented highest visitors than fist time visitors.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by reporting some main features and making basic comparisons, yet it suffers from significant data confusion and contradictions regarding the years. For instance, the writer states that in 2002, approximately 8,000 people visited for the first time compared to 3,000 returning visitors, but immediately follows this by stating the first time visitors fell to 4,000 in 2002 while returning visitors rose to 10,000 in 2002, and repeats 'in 2002' multiple times incorrectly. Furthermore, the overview captures some trends accurately, but the body paragraphs lack clarity in sequencing temporal points. To reach a higher level, the response must accurately align the correct years with the corresponding data points from the graph and present a coherent, well-developed summary without internal contradictions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, providing some overall arrangement. However, progression is hindered by repetitive temporal framing, particularly the misuse of 'In 2002' across multiple unconnected data points, which disrupts the logical flow. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'however' are used, but their mechanical repetition and occasional poor placement—such as starting sentences with lowercase letters or faulty transitions—limit their effectiveness. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion fails to guide the reader smoothly through the chronology of the chart. To improve, the writer needs to vary cohesive devices, ensure clear temporal progression across different years, and maintain consistent referencing throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for a basic response, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'considerably', 'steadily', and 'peak'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-choice errors that detract from the quality, including 'begning' instead of 'beginning', 'Ntobably', 'vistors', 'carly' instead of 'Caryl', 'arround', 'contined', and 'fist'. Additionally, awkward phrasing like 'represented highest number of vistors than first time visitors' shows limited control over word collocation and comparative structures. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their range of vocabulary, ensure accurate spelling, and use precise phrasing for describing statistical data and comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple clauses and basic complex forms with frequent grammatical inaccuracies. Errors include missing articles ('represented highest visitors'), capitalization issues ('however, It fell'), and incorrect prepositions or prepositional phrases ('increased about 4,000'). While the meaning is generally decipherable, these frequent errors in punctuation, capitalization, and basic sentence architecture cause noticeable strain for the reader. To move up to the next band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex sentence structures, maintain accurate subject-verb agreement, and exercise better control over punctuation and capitalization.

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

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