Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-06

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 shows the number of tourists who visited Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. It compares visitors staying on the island with those staying on cruise ships measured in millions.

Overall, the total number of tourist increased steadily throughout the period, rising from 1 million in 2010 to 3.5 million in 2017. While the number of visitors staying on the island remained fairly stable , the numbers of tourists staying on the ship increased sharply and became a larger group by the end of the period.

In 2010, the island received about 1 million visitors including 0.7 million visitors staying on island and 0.3 million visitors staying on cruise ships. Then total number rose gradually to 1.5 million in 2012 and 2 million in 2013. It increased to 2.5 million in 2014 and 2.7 million in both 2015 and 2016. Surprisingly the figure reached to 3.5 million in 2017.

Number of visitors staying on island increased from 0.7 million in 2010 to 1.5 million until 2015. Then it fell slightly to 1.25 million in 2016 and later retained it`s position of 1.5 million in 2017. By contrast, number of visitors staying on ships showed an overall rise from 0.5 million in 2012 to 2 million in 2017 .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview. You covered both categories (island stayers and cruise ship passengers) and made relevant comparisons. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you state the total reached 3.5 million in 2017, but the graph shows the total is the sum of the two categories, which appears to be 3.5 million. Your breakdown of the 2010 figures is accurate, but the description of the trends in the final paragraph is slightly confusing regarding the specific years and figures. To improve, ensure that your data points are precisely aligned with the graph's axes to avoid minor factual discrepancies.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In 2010', 'Then', and 'By contrast' to guide the reader. However, the paragraphing is slightly unbalanced, and some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the third and fourth paragraphs could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that each paragraph has a distinct thematic focus, such as grouping all data for one category together rather than splitting it across multiple paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'steadily', 'remained fairly stable', and 'increased sharply'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'retained it`s position' and 'the figure reached to'. The use of 'it`s' is a punctuation error, and 'reached to' is grammatically incorrect (it should be 'reached'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, incorporating more precise academic collocations would enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('visited Caribbean island' should be 'visited the Caribbean island') and incorrect verb usage ('retained it`s position' should be 'regained its position'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as the space before the comma in 'stable ,'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will help improve your accuracy.

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