Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-15

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 4.0)

This line graph illustrates number of visitors in Caryl Island in the period 2000 to 2008

Overall, it is clear that visitors experienced an down trend, whereas returning visitors upward trend. Furthermore, returning visitors recorded the highest value, while first time visitors remain the lowest throughout the period.

looking

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response makes a relevant attempt to describe the graph and offers an overview, but it does not accurately capture the main trends. First-time visitors fell from about 8,000 to 4,000 by 2002, then rose to roughly 11,800; returning visitors generally increased from 3,000 to a peak of around 15,200 in 2006, before declining. The claim that first-time visitors experienced a downward trend is therefore misleading, and they were not the lowest throughout: they exceeded returning visitors in 2000. The response also stops after “looking” and is far below the required 150 words, leaving the data and comparisons largely unreported. To improve, provide a complete summary with an accurate overview and selected figures for both series.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by a separate overview beginning “Overall,” which gives the reader a recognisable structure. However, the response ends with the isolated word “looking,” so there is no developed sequence of details or comparison. The overview also places two contrasting trends together without explaining the changes over time, and “Furthermore” does not create a clear logical link to the preceding point. Build a complete report with an introduction, a concise overview, and one or two paragraphs grouping the figures by trend. Use linking expressions only where they show a genuine relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “visitors,” “down trend,” “upward trend,” and “highest value,” so the topic is generally identifiable. However, the range is very limited, and several phrases are imprecise or unnatural: “down trend” would be better expressed as “decline,” while “visitors experienced” does not clearly describe what the figures show. The phrase “first time visitors” should be written consistently as “first-time visitors.” Because the response contains almost no data description, it does not demonstrate the range of vocabulary needed to compare rises, falls, peaks, and fluctuations. Use precise trend language and vary it appropriately when reporting the graph.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes a simple opening sentence and an attempt at a more complex contrast with “whereas,” but grammatical control is uneven. In “illustrates number of visitors,” the article is missing; “an down trend” uses the wrong article; and “whereas returning visitors upward trend” lacks a verb. The final “looking” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. These errors make parts of the overview difficult to interpret, although the intended comparison can still be inferred. Practise complete clauses with a clear subject and verb, and check articles and agreement. For example, write “First-time visitor numbers declined, whereas returning visitor numbers rose.”

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