Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-03

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 given line graph describes us about the tourists visiting Caribbean island during the years 2010 to 2017. The twist is some of the tousrists preferred staying on the island while others used to spend their holiday on cruise ships. Overall, the number of visitors kept rising each year with the least number of travelers in 2010 while 2017 shows us the maximum number of tourists.

There was a significant decline in number of people choosing cruise ships in 2012 where most of the tourists were staying on island. However, we can see a gradual increase in the travellers staying on cruise ships each year, while the number of tourists staying on island remains constant.

In 2016, the number of cruise ship travellers surpasses the number of visitors staying on island which happened the very first time during the survey. Lastly, in 2017 we can see the most number of visitors where we can see around two million travellers were staying on cruise ships while 1.5 million of them were staying on the island.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You highlighted the key features, such as the overall upward trend and the crossover point in 2016. However, your description of the data is slightly inaccurate in places; for example, you state that the number of tourists staying on the island 'remains constant,' whereas the graph shows a clear upward trend for both categories. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data interpretation is precise and that you support your observations with accurate figures from the graph throughout the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However,' 'Lastly,' and 'Overall,' which help the reader follow the progression of your ideas. However, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is a bit abrupt, and some sentences feel slightly disconnected. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph focuses on a distinct aspect of the data to enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, using terms like 'significant decline,' 'gradual increase,' and 'surpasses.' However, there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'The twist is some of the tousrists' and 'the most number of visitors,' which are not natural in an academic context. Additionally, there is a spelling error ('tousrists'). To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure you proofread for minor spelling slips. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and adverbs would also help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'describes us about' (which is redundant), 'in number of people' (missing an article), and 'which happened the very first time' (which should be 'for the first time'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do occur frequently. To reach a higher band, focus on improving your control over articles, prepositions, and relative clauses to ensure your writing is more accurate and professional.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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