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 above line graph illustrates the number of tourists visiting a specific Caribbean island between 7 years time period.
Overall, it is clear that total visitors shows the fastest grew and makes the top position over the period 7 years. Meanwhile, both cruise ships and staying on islands grew up but cruise ships grew faster as compare to staying on islands and increased over the 7 years of period.
To begin with, Total visitors experienced a rapid increased from 1 millions of visitors to 3.5 millions of visitors between 2010 to 2017. Similarly, Visitors staying on islands increased just over the 0.5 million and became flaculated over the period 2016 and suddenly increased up to nearly 1.5 millions of visitors in 2017.
In contrast, visitors staying on cruise ships grew daramatically and reach 0 to 0.5 million in 2011 and experienced a sudden decline up to 0 million then after it rose considerably up to 1.5 million over the period 2017.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the graph, including the overall trend and specific data points for the three categories. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you identified the general growth, the description of the data is occasionally inaccurate (e.g., stating cruise ship visitors reached '0 to 0.5 million in 2011' and then a 'sudden decline up to 0 million', which is confusingly phrased). To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are reported with greater precision and that the comparisons between the categories are more clearly articulated. The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the most significant trends rather than just listing them.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'To begin with', and 'In contrast' to signal transitions. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For instance, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs feels a bit abrupt. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression of ideas could be improved by grouping information more effectively rather than simply listing the categories one by one. Improving the variety of linking words would also enhance the overall cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. You rely on basic verbs like 'grew' and 'increased' repeatedly. There are also several instances of word-choice errors or non-standard collocations, such as 'fastest grew', '7 years of period', and 'flaculated' (likely intended to be 'fluctuated'). These errors do not prevent communication, but they do limit the score. To improve, focus on using more precise reporting verbs (e.g., 'surged', 'plummeted', 'stabilized') and ensure that nouns and adjectives are used correctly in context to describe trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'total visitors shows the fastest grew', 'as compare to', and 'a rapid increased'. These errors involve subject-verb agreement, incorrect verb forms, and preposition usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically ensuring that verbs are in the correct tense and that sentence structures are grammatically sound.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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