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.

Through the years, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships showed an unstable increase and decrease for the first four years, but continued to increase in the next year onwards. As for the number of visitors staying on island, there was no progress of increase or decrease in the first two years which are 2010 and 2011 but the graph rose until it remained constant for three consecutive years in a row. The number of visitors then slacked off in the year 2016, but managed to increase to the same level as the previous year in 2017. All in all, the graph showed an outstanding performance for the total number of visitors throughout 2011 to 2017, where it increasededly every gradually every year except from the previous the year except from 2015 to 2016 where it remained constant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview of the trends. However, the report is overly descriptive, listing data point by point for every year rather than selecting and highlighting the most significant features and trends. This mechanical approach prevents the response from reaching a higher band. While the main features are identified, the lack of synthesis and the inclusion of unnecessary detail make the report feel like a raw data dump. To improve, focus on grouping years with similar trends and making more direct comparisons between the two categories of visitors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is hampered by the repetitive structure of the sentences. Each paragraph follows a similar pattern of listing data, which makes the writing feel mechanical. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moving on' and 'In the year 2013', but they are often used in a formulaic way. The final paragraph attempts to summarize, but the phrasing is somewhat confusing and repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite repetitive. Phrases like 'number of visitors', 'staying on cruise ships', and 'staying on island' are used constantly throughout the text. There are also some awkward collocations and minor errors, such as 'increasededly' and 'slacked off', which are not appropriate for an academic report. To reach a higher band, you should use a wider range of synonyms (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'surged') and avoid informal phrasing. The spelling of 'carribean' should be 'Caribbean'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include incorrect preposition usage (e.g., 'staying on island' instead of 'staying on the island'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing like 'totals up to a million of visitors'. There are also several run-on sentences and punctuation errors that affect readability. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from being considered highly accurate. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve the quality of your writing.

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