Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below shows the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The line graph demonstrates the popularity of a tourist spot and their choice of stay in Carribbean island between seven years.

Overall,in seven years tourism rate has a massive raise in Carribbean island and comparitively to staying on island people prefer to stay on cruise ships.

if we look at the graph it shows a sharp incline from one million in 2010 to approximately 3.5 million in 2017. Furthermore , graph illustrates about the stay of tourists which also shows raise in graph as more people likes to stay on curise ship in 2017 about 2 million people spend their days on a curise ship where as in 2010 less than half million people booked curise ships on the other hand staying on island was not least common for instance less than 1 million people live their where as now it became less preferable leading it to only 1.5 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall rise in visitor numbers, from about 1 million in 2010 to 3.5 million in 2017, and note the strong growth in cruise-ship visitors. These are relevant features, and the figures you give broadly match the graph. However, the comparison that people preferred cruise ships over staying on the island is not true for most of the period: island-based visitors were more numerous until 2016, and the two categories were equal in 2017. The description of island stays as becoming “less preferable” is also unclear, since this figure fluctuated around 1.25–1.5 million rather than showing a sustained decline. Include the total’s progression and make the category comparison more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing figures and trends. This helps the reader identify the topic and the broad direction of change. However, the final paragraph combines several comparisons in one long sentence, so the progression is difficult to follow. Linking phrases such as “Furthermore,” “whereas,” and “on the other hand” are used, but the relationships between ideas are not always clear, and some transitions feel mechanical. Separate the cruise-ship trend from the island-stay trend, and organise each around a clear time comparison. This would make the information easier to track and improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “sharp incline,” “prefer,” and “less preferable,” and the reader can generally understand the topic. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “tourism rate,” “massive raise,” and “people likes to stay.” Spelling errors in “Carribbean” and “curise” also reduce accuracy. The repeated use of “stay” and “people” limits the range, while “live their” is not an appropriate way to describe tourists’ accommodation. Aim for precise chart language and check spelling: for example, describe visitor numbers as rising, and refer to tourists staying on the island or aboard cruise ships.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a comparison with “whereas” and a clause introduced by “as.” However, control is uneven, and several errors make parts of the response harder to read. For example, “people likes” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, while “less than 1 million people live their” has an unclear pronoun and an unsuitable verb form for the past data. The long final sentence also contains several clauses joined without clear punctuation, and spacing after commas is inconsistent. Use shorter sentences to report each trend, check agreement and tense, and punctuate comparisons carefully. These changes would make your meaning more consistently clear.

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