Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-26

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 statistics of (the number at tourists visiting a particular carribean island between (the years) 2010 and 2017) in the year 2010, there were a quarter of a million visitors that stayed on cruise ships, while another [redacted phone] visitors were staying on island that totals up to a million of visitors during that year. The following year, which is 2011, half a million visitors stayed on cruise ships for the visitors who were staying on the island, the graph doesn't show and decrease or an increase because the number was the same as the previous year, which is [redacted phone] visitors. Total visitors for that year was 1 million and a quarter visitors. Moving on, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships decreased to [redacted phone] visitors in the year 2012 while the number of visitors staying on island increased to [redacted phone] people. This sums up to an amount of [redacted phone] visitors that year.

In the year 2013, [redacted phone] visitors stayed on cruise ships while [redacted phone] visitors stayed on island that adds up to 2 million visitors that year. During the next year which is 2014, a total at one million visitors stayed on cruise ships while the same number of visitors staying on island remained consistent which is [redacted phone] people, totalling up to two million and a half visitors that year. For the year 2015, [redacted phone] visitors were staying on cruise ships and [redacted phone] tourists were staying on island, showing no changes from the previous year. The total of tourists in that year increased to [redacted phone] visitors. The total number of visitors remained the same in the following year which is 2016 where it summed up [redacted phone] visitors staying on cruise ships and [redacted phone] visitors staying on island. In the final year, 2017, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships and staying on island increase to three and a half million of visitors. The graph showed an increase of half a million for the number of visitors staying on cruise ships which totals up to two million visitors. As for the number of visitors staying on island, the graph also increased for a quarter million which adds up to a total of [redacted phone] visitors that year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided data for both categories (cruise ship and island visitors) across the period. However, the response is overly descriptive and repetitive, listing data point by point rather than synthesising the information into clear trends or significant comparisons. To improve, you should group data more effectively—for example, by highlighting the overall growth trajectory or identifying years where one category overtook the other. While you covered all parts of the task, the lack of a clear overview and the tendency to simply list figures prevents this from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, but the flow is mechanical. You rely heavily on repetitive sentence structures like 'In the year X...' or 'Moving on, the number of...'. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or slightly awkward, such as 'that totals up to a million of visitors'. The progression of ideas is logical chronologically, but the lack of varied linking words makes the text feel like a list rather than a cohesive report. Improving the variety of transitions and using referencing more effectively would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'increased', 'decreased', 'consistent', and 'remained the same'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'totals up to a million of visitors' (should be 'a million visitors') and 'the graph doesn't show and decrease' (should be 'any decrease'). The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. You should focus on using more varied reporting verbs and nouns to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', or 'a significant rise'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in articles ('the number at tourists'), prepositions ('staying on island' should be 'staying on the island'), and pluralisation. Some sentences are overly long and run-on, which makes them difficult to follow. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of grammatical slips—particularly with articles and prepositions—prevents the text from being error-free. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent use of articles would significantly improve your score.

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