Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-13

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)

The graph presents the number of first time visitors and returning visitors from 2000 to 2008 to Caryl Island.

Overall, the number of returning visitors is higher then that of first time visitors who visited the Caryl Island.

From 2000 to 2002, the number of first time visitors dropped from 8000 to 4000. From 2002 to 2008 the number has been increasing steadily on yearly basis. The highest number of first time visitors were seen in 2008, which was nearly 12000.

The number of returning visitors started off comparetively low. In 2000, the number of returning visitors on Caryl Island was in the range of 2000 to 4000. Those numbers took a steady hike from 2002 to 2006, reaching record highest of almost 15000. Then we saw a small decline, just below 14000 in 2008.

The number of first time visitors and returning visitors were similar in between the years of 2000 to 2002, which was around 6000. However, over the longer period of time, the number of returning visitors has dominated as compared to first time visitors on the Island.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify both visitor groups and report the main overall pattern: returning visitors generally outnumbered first-time visitors, while first-time numbers ended higher than they began. Several figures are accurately selected, including the fall from 8,000 to 4,000 and the first-time peak of nearly 12,000. However, the overview is too broad: returning visitors were not higher in every year, since first-time visitors led in 2000. The statement that the groups were similar between 2000 and 2002 at around 6,000 is also unclear and does not match the plotted values at either endpoint. Clarify the key comparison and describe the first-time series as rising after 2002, rather than increasing steadily on a yearly basis, as the graph gives two-year intervals.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the two visitor groups. This helps the reader follow the broad subject. However, progression is weakened by the final paragraph, which repeats the comparison already made in the overview and introduces the unclear claim that the figures were similar between 2000 and 2002. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “The number of…” and “From…to…”. The phrase “Then we saw” also shifts into a conversational style. Group the main trends more purposefully and use clear references such as “this figure” or “the returning-visitor total” to reduce repetition and make comparisons easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “dropped,” “increasing,” “decline,” and “dominated,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more descriptive phrasing, such as “started off comparatively low” and “reaching record highest,” though the latter is not a natural collocation. Some word choices and spelling errors reduce precision: “comparetively” is misspelled, and “steady hike” is informal for an academic report. “On yearly basis” is also an awkward expression for data shown at two-year intervals. Aim for standard chart language and accurate collocations, for example “rose steadily,” “reached a peak,” and “was comparatively low.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some longer structures, including “From 2000 to 2002, the number of first time visitors dropped…” and a sentence beginning “However, over the longer period…”. The main trends remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions persist. In “the number … has been increasing,” the present perfect is not appropriate for a period that ended in 2008; use the past simple. “The highest number … were seen” has subject–verb disagreement, while “started off comparetively low” lacks a clear grammatical subject for the comparison. There are also article and preposition issues in “the Caryl Island” and “similar in between the years.” Check tense consistency for completed historical data, agreement with singular “number,” and sentence patterns when making comparisons.

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