Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-12

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 compares the number of visitors on the Caribbean island between 2010 to 2017, dividing into those staying on island and those staying on cruise ships and overall total number of visitors.

overalll the total number of visitors increased significantly. Visitors staying on island grew steadly but visitors staying on cruise ships increased greater in number, and became highest staying point.

In 2010, total number of visitors were 1 million, and visitors staying on cruise were less than 0.5 million and those staying on island were 750,000. In 2011, there was slight raised in total number of visitors, staying on cruise ships visitors were 0.5 million, while visitors staying on island grew steadily. In 2012 there was seen a downfall on staying cruise ships, but visitors were 1.5 million. Between 2013 to 2017 there was huge change in total number of visitors they increased from 2 million to 3.5 million. And visitorsstaying on cruise increased dramatically 0.5 million to 2 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the overall rise in total visitors and the contrasting growth of cruise-ship visitors, and you include several relevant figures, such as the total increasing from 1 million in 2010 to 3.5 million in 2017. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the island-staying figure in 2012 was 1.25 million, not 1.5 million, and the claim that cruise-ship visitors “became highest” is not clearly explained. The overview also misses the important comparison that island stays were higher for most of the period, while cruise-ship visitors overtook them only in 2017. Develop the trends for both categories more precisely and distinguish the total from the two visitor groups.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, an overview, and then details moving from 2010 towards 2017. Time markers such as “In 2010,” “In 2011,” and “Between 2013 to 2017” help the reader follow the timeline. However, the final paragraph combines several years and categories in long, loosely connected sentences, so some comparisons are difficult to track. For example, “In 2012 there was seen a downfall on staying cruise ships, but visitors were 1.5 million” does not make clear which group the latter figure describes. Use separate sentences or clearer linking to compare the total, island stays, and cruise stays, and organise the body around trends rather than listing years.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a graph, including “increased significantly,” “grew steadily,” and “increased dramatically,” and the main subject remains understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are imprecise, such as “staying point,” “a slight raised,” and “there was seen a downfall.” Repetition of “visitors” and “increased” also limits the range, while spelling and word-form slips such as “overalll,” “steadly,” and “visitorsstaying” reduce accuracy. Aim for natural graph language, for example, “the number of cruise-ship visitors,” “a slight rise,” and “a decline.” Check spelling and use precise terms for the two accommodation categories.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “but” and a time clause beginning “Between 2013 to 2017.” The main message is generally recoverable, but some sentence structures and grammatical forms are inaccurate. For example, “between 2010 to 2017” should use a consistent range construction, and “total number of visitors were 1 million” has a subject–verb agreement error. The sentence beginning “In 2012 there was seen…” is also awkwardly formed, and several clauses are joined without clear punctuation. Practise accurate comparisons and past-tense reporting, and check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries when editing.

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