Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-11
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 illustrates the amount of travelers traveling to a specific Caribbean island with in 2010 to 2017. The tourists visited via cruise ship as well as some of them stayed in the island.
The initial year, 2010 visitors traveled via cruise ship to the island was almost 0.25 millions in number. In the coming year the number raised by almost 0.25 millions and total number of tourists became 0.5 millions. However the number unfortunately dropped to 0.25 millions again. But in the coming years from 2013 to 2017 the numbers of visitors surged counting from 0.5 millions to a solid 2 millions.
Visitors those stayed in the island was initially in plateau phase in 0.75 millions. Then in the next 2 years the numbers increased to 1.5 millions. Then for the next 2 years the number was again in plateau phase , timeline from 2013 to 2015. Then the number dropped by 0.25 millions in 2016 which again rose to 0.25 millions in the year 2017 again making 1.5 millions staying visitors in the island.
The total number of tourists surged from 2010 to 2017 from only 1 million initially and then making 3.5 millions at last.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the graph, including the trends for both cruise ship visitors and island stayers. You successfully identified the overall surge in total numbers. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary paragraph that highlights the most significant trends at a glance. Additionally, some data points are described with slight inaccuracies, such as the description of the 2010 starting point for cruise ship visitors. To improve, ensure you provide a clear summary of the main trends in the introduction or as a separate paragraph, and double-check your data reporting to ensure precision.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the different categories of tourists. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive, with frequent use of 'Then' and 'In the coming years' to start sentences. The logical progression is generally clear, but the transition between the description of cruise ship visitors and those staying on the island could be smoother. To reach a higher band, try to vary your linking words and use more sophisticated referencing to connect ideas across sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'surged', 'plateau phase', and 'increased'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'amount of travelers' (should be 'number of travelers') and 'staying visitors' (should be 'visitors staying on the island'). The repetition of '0.25 millions' and '1.5 millions' is understandable given the data, but try to use synonyms or different ways to express these figures to demonstrate more flexibility. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'with in 2010 to 2017' (should be 'between 2010 and 2017'), 'visitors those stayed' (should be 'visitors who stayed'), and 'the number raised' (should be 'the number rose'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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