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 graph compares the number of tourists in millions visiting a island named Caribbean island in between 2010 and 2017.

overall the total visitors in caribbean island have been increased rapidly over the time from 1 million to 3 million between 2010 and 2017. Both categories experienced growth however the number of visitors staying on the island was less as compared to visitors who like staying on cruise ships.

The visitors who like staying on cruise ship increased 0.25 million in one year , following year it again experinced decline of 0.25 million . Whereas it again experinced growth in 2013 of 0.25 million and the number again turned to 0.5 million of visitors in 2013. After 2013 till 2017 it experinced rapid increased of 1.5 million toursit visiting Caribbean island . The largest growth was in between 2013 - 2014 and 2016 - 2017. Overall The number of visitors increased from 0l25 to 2 million visitors over these 7 years.

In contrast the number of tourist staying on island remained constant of 0.75 million visitors for one year from 2010 to 2011 but it started to increase in total of 0.75 million from 2011 to 2013. Similarly the number stayed constant of 1.5 million visitors for next two years from 2013 to 2015. However the next year it experienced decline of 0.25 million tourist till 2016, and again in 2018 it increased 0.25million , in total number of visitors staying on island increased 0.75 million to 1.5million.

Overall there was rapid increase in number of tourist in total especially the tourist who want to stay on cruise ships rather than tourist who wants to stay on island in between 2010 to 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s overall rise and compare the two accommodation groups, which addresses the main task. You also report several relevant changes, such as cruise-ship visitors reaching 2 million in 2017 and island visitors remaining at 1.5 million for part of the period. However, some key details are inaccurate: the total rises from 1 million to 3.5 million, not 3 million, and cruise-ship visitors increase by 1.5 million from 2013 to 2017, rather than describing the intervening changes clearly. The reference to 2018 is outside the chart, which ends in 2017. The comparison that island visitors were fewer than cruise-ship visitors is also not true across the period. More precise reporting of the total and the changing relationship between the groups would strengthen the overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, separate paragraphs for each visitor category, and a concluding summary. This gives the reader a broad route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because events are repeated or linked imprecisely. For example, the cruise-ship paragraph says the figure rose by 0.25 million and then declined, before stating it “again turned to 0.5 million” in 2013, making the sequence unclear. The repeated “Overall” and frequent use of “However” and “Similarly” also make cohesion feel mechanical. Organise each category’s figures chronologically and use clearer references to the year and value being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “increased,” “decline,” “remained constant,” and “visitors staying on cruise ships,” so the topic is generally clear. There is some variety in how you describe change, but several choices are inaccurate or awkward, such as “rapid increased,” “number of tourists in millions visiting a island,” and “tourist visiting Caribbean island.” Spelling errors such as “experinced” and “tourist” where the plural is needed also reduce precision. Some phrases are repeated, particularly “number of visitors” and “increased.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and vary the language for describing rises, falls, and stable figures; this will make the report clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, using contrast and time clauses such as “Whereas…” and “However the next year…”. The main trends can usually be understood, but errors in sentence construction and control are noticeable. For example, “the total visitors … have been increased” uses an incorrect verb form, while “the number … remained constant of 0.75 million” has an awkward grammatical pattern. Articles and agreement are also inconsistent in phrases such as “a island” and “the number of tourist.” Punctuation is sometimes missing or misplaced, including spaces before commas and inconsistent capitalisation after full stops. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and sentence patterns such as “the figure remained at…” while checking articles, plurals, and punctuation.

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