Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-12

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 given line graph illustrates the number of first time visitors along with returning visitors in Caryl Island between 2000 and 2008.

Overall, it is evident that the overall treand was increased in both first time visitors and returning visitors.

To begin with, in 2000, exact 8000 people who visited Caryl Island for the first time,while around 3000 visitors who returned the island in the same year.However, the number of first time visitors were decreased in the following year at 4000.Whereas, the number of returning visitors increased sharply to 10000 in 2002.Moreover, the figure of returning visitors was went up gradually from 2002 to 2006 at nearly 16000, but it fell in 2008 to around 14000 in the last year.

However, the number of people who visited Caryl Island for the first time it was rose steadily throughout the period from 4000 to 12000 in the last year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify both visitor groups and describe several key movements, including the fall in first-time visitors to 4,000 in 2002 and the rise in returning visitors to a peak around 2006 before they declined. However, the overview is inaccurate: first-time visitors did not increase throughout the period, since they fell between 2000 and 2002, and the two series did not both show an overall increase—the returning figure rose overall, while the first-time figure also ended higher but fluctuated. The final paragraph gives the first-time trend only briefly, and the response is two words below the required minimum. Include a clearer overview and compare the groups at the beginning and end of the period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing the data. The sequence is mostly chronological, and linking expressions such as “To begin with,” “Moreover” and “However” help signal movement between points. However, progression is weakened by the repeated use of “However,” including where the final paragraph simply adds information, and the overview does not accurately prepare the reader for the detailed trends. Some sentences also run together without spaces after full stops, making the presentation less clear. Organise the body by visitor group or by period, use transitions that show the actual relationship between ideas, and keep each sentence clearly separated.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “first time visitors,” “returning visitors,” “increased sharply” and “fell,” so the main trends are generally understandable. There is some variation in how changes are described, but the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural. For example, “the overall treand was increased” is not a natural way to describe the graph, and “the figure … was went up” combines incompatible forms. “Exact 8000 people” is also an unsuitable collocation for an approximate chart value. Aim for precise reporting language and check spelling and word forms; alternatives such as “stood at,” “declined” and “rose gradually” would make the account clearer and more appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “Whereas” and a time clause beginning “from 2002 to 2006.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur in basic sentence patterns as well as longer clauses. Examples include “the overall treand was increased,” “the number … were decreased,” and “the figure … was went up”; these show problems with verb forms and subject–verb agreement. The final sentence, “the number … it was rose,” also has an unnecessary second subject and an incorrect verb form. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, particularly where sentences run together. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build longer sentences from correctly formed clauses.

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