Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-08

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)

The line graph illustrates the number of visitors who visited the Caryl Island for the first time and who again visited the Island over the period of 8 years.

Overall, the number of returning visitors decreased, while the first time visitors figure increased.

In 2000, almost 8000 people visited the Caryl Island that gradually decreased over the period of time and plummeted to its lowest at 4000 visitors in 2002. After 2002, there is a gradual and consistent increase in number of visitors who visited Caryl Island for the first time, reaching just below 12000 in 2008.

The graph showed that just above 2000 people returned to the Caryl Island in 2000. From then on, there is the gradual and steady increase in number of people who came back to the the Caryl Island and it recorded the highest number of returning visitors in 2006. After 2006, Caryl Island experienced the sharp decline in number of visitors who returned, falling to just below 14000 in 2008

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies both visitor groups and reports several key movements, including the first-time visitors’ fall to 4,000 in 2002 and subsequent rise to nearly 12,000, as well as returning visitors’ peak in 2006 and decline by 2008. However, the overview is inaccurate: returning visitors did not decrease overall, rising from about 3,000 in 2000 to around 13,400 in 2008. This central misreading substantially weakens the summary. The account also omits the important comparison that returning visitors outnumbered first-time visitors from 2002 onward, and gives few precise figures for the returning series. To improve, check the overall direction against the start and end values, then select and compare the main turning points and totals accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs describing each visitor group. This makes the two series easy to follow, and time markers such as “In 2000,” “After 2002,” and “After 2006” help show sequence. However, the overview’s contrast is not supported by the data, so the progression is weakened at the point where the main trends should be summarised. Some linking is repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “After,” and references such as “it” in “it recorded the highest number” could be clearer. Organise the body around the key comparisons as well as each line’s changes, and use a wider range of accurate links to make the progression more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range for describing trends, including “plummeted,” “gradual and consistent increase,” “highest number,” and “sharp decline.” These choices help convey movement and scale, although some are not fully precise: “plummeted” overstates the fall from 8,000 to 4,000, while “gradual and steady increase” does not capture the substantial rise in returning visitors. Several phrases are repetitive or awkward, such as “number of visitors who visited” and “came back to the the Caryl Island.” Use concise chart language and choose trend verbs that match the size and direction of each change. For example, “rose sharply” is more suitable for the returning series’ early increase, and “fell by half” accurately describes the first-time series’ initial drop.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more extended sentence forms, and most meanings remain clear. For example, the sentence beginning “After 2002” combines a time clause with a result, while the final sentence describes a later change using a participial phrase. Some grammatical errors remain. Tense shifts occur between past reporting (“The graph showed”) and present forms (“there is” and “it recorded”); use the past consistently for this completed period. Articles and sentence construction also need attention in “the number of visitors who visited the Caryl Island that gradually decreased,” where the relative clause is awkwardly attached. The duplicated article in “the the Caryl Island” is another clear slip. More consistent tense control and cleaner clause structure would improve accuracy.

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