Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-21
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 depicts the number of tourist visiting a particular island of Caribbean from 2010 to 2017. The data has been calibrated into millions.
Overall , it is crystal clear that total visitors was highest or at its peak in last year while the visitors staying on Island was lowest in given passage of time.
At a glance it is evident that visitors staying on cruise ships commenced from less than 0.5 million and reached at exactly 0.5 million in 2011. After following the fluctuations it started increasing from 2014 to 2017. Nextly in 2017 the tourister on cruise ships was 2 millions.
Moving ahead , to tourists stayed on Island was approximately 1 million in 2010 . From 2011 to till 2013 it rose and came at 1.5 millions. However in next year the number of people on Island remained similar and in 2016 it falls before reached at the same point on the 1.5 millions . Furthermore the total remained highest followed an upward Trend and it arrived at its peak point in 2017 on 3.5 millions
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 trends for both cruise ship and island-staying tourists, as well as the total. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the statement that visitors staying on the island were at their 'lowest' in the given period is inaccurate, as the graph shows fluctuations rather than a single low point. While the key features are identified, the description of the data is occasionally imprecise, such as describing the 2016 trend as 'falls before reached at the same point', which lacks clarity. The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the most significant trends.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or awkward, such as 'Nextly' and 'Moving ahead, to tourists stayed'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making the progression of ideas feel disjointed. While there is a logical attempt to group the data by category, the transition between sentences lacks the fluidity required for a higher band. The paragraphing is sufficient, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more variety and precision to improve the flow of information.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of word-choice errors and non-standard phrasing, such as 'tourister' instead of 'tourists', 'calibrated into millions' instead of 'measured in millions', and 'in next year' instead of 'the following year'. These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a limited range and a lack of precision. To improve, the student should focus on using more accurate terminology for describing trends and data points, as well as improving the accuracy of collocations related to statistical reporting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'total visitors was highest' (subject-verb agreement), 'visitors staying on Island' (missing articles), and 'it falls before reached' (tense inconsistency). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors is noticeable and prevents the writing from reaching a higher level of accuracy. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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