Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-18
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 displays the number of tourists in millions visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.
Total numbers of visitor climbed non stop in these years. They was 1 million in starting year and are 3.5 million in final year. Visitors staying on cruise ships show very positive movement in these years. They grew form 0.25 million to 2 million in final year. They experience decline only in 2011 after that they expanded continuously. In compare visitors staying on island were at 0.75 million in starting year and remain at for an year. From 2011 to 2013 they increase moderately to 1.5 million and than again do not change for 3 years. Than they fall slightly in 2015 and slowly rose to 1.5 million in 2016. In contrast, Starting number of visitors staying on island was high but numbers of visitors staying on cruise ships was high in final year.
To sum up, it should be noticed that total number of visitors did not face any fall in these years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the graph, including the overall upward trend and the comparison between cruise ship and island-staying tourists. You successfully identified the starting and ending points for both categories. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, listing data points rather than synthesising the information into a cohesive narrative. While you highlight the key differences, the description of the fluctuations for island-staying visitors is a bit repetitive. To reach a higher band, focus on grouping data more effectively and providing a more analytical overview that captures the 'big picture' trends rather than just reporting individual figures.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast' and 'To sum up'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed due to repetitive sentence structures and limited use of linking words. For example, the transition between the description of cruise ship visitors and island visitors feels abrupt. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'remain at for an year', which lacks a clear antecedent. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring smoother transitions between ideas would significantly enhance the readability of your report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'climbed', 'expanded', 'moderately', and 'fluctuations'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'non stop' instead of 'continuously' or 'steadily', and 'positive movement' which is not standard in this context. Additionally, there are minor errors in phrasing like 'in starting year' (missing articles) and 'than' used instead of 'then'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring correct collocations when describing trends and data points.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Common issues include missing articles ('in starting year'), subject-verb agreement errors ('They was 1 million'), and incorrect preposition usage. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar prevent the response from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic errors such as verb tense consistency and the correct use of articles, as well as attempting more varied complex sentence structures to demonstrate greater control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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