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)
This graph depicts the number of tourists who are visiting a particular Caribbean island over the period of 7 years.
In this report, 1 million visitors started to surge from the year 2010 and the trend continuously move upward until 2017. Furthermore, it illustrated the balance results accounted for 2.7 million from the year 2015 to 2016.
The report about visitors who stayed on the cruise ships amounted to 0.3 million by 2010. In addition, trend showed some declines in 2012 and afterwards it moved upward and reached to 2 million by 2017.
The visitors who were on the island accounted for 0.8 million in 2010 and after continuously inclines it showed some declines in 2016 and again slightly surged by 2016.
To conclude, total visitors depicted the most significant improvement from the year 2010 to 2017. Secondly, the visitors who were stayed on the island remained consistently low from the overall visitors. At last, visitors on the cruise ships showed poor performance.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 total visitor numbers and the two sub-categories (cruise ship and island stay). However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview of the trends. For instance, the statement 'the trend continuously move upward' is inaccurate for the cruise ship data, which showed a decline in 2012. Furthermore, the data interpretation is occasionally confusing, such as the mention of 'balance results' which is unclear. To reach a higher band, you should provide a more precise summary of the overall trends and ensure that the data points cited are clearly linked to the specific categories provided in the graph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often repetitive or mechanical, such as the frequent use of 'In addition' and 'Furthermore'. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the final paragraph where the summary points feel somewhat disconnected from the preceding data analysis. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult to track which data set is being discussed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate to convey the information, but it lacks the precision and variety expected for higher bands. Phrases like 'poor performance' and 'balance results' are not appropriate for describing statistical data. You rely on basic verbs such as 'move', 'showed', and 'accounted for' repeatedly. To improve, you should incorporate more specific vocabulary related to trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a marginal increase'. Additionally, ensure that your word choices are contextually accurate to avoid confusion for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You have several errors in verb tense and subject-verb agreement, such as 'the trend continuously move upward' (should be 'moved') and 'visitors who were stayed' (should be 'who stayed'). There are also issues with prepositions and articles, such as 'reached to 2 million' (should be 'reached 2 million'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to distract the reader. Focusing on consistent tense usage and refining your control over complex sentence structures will help improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.