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 below demonstrates the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between the years 2010 and 2017.
Overall, the line graph illustrates that the highest number of people explored the island in 2017 that is from 1.5 million to 3.5 million.
Visitors staying on cruise ships were around 0.25 million to 0.5 between 2010 and 2013, whereas it increased from 1 million to 1.5 million in 2014 till 2017 and reached to 2 million by the year 2017. Travelers who were staying on island were approximately 0.75 in 2010 and 2011, which significantly rose to 1.5 million during the years 2013, 2014, 2015. A slight decrease was in 2016 and again it reached to 1.5 million by the year 2017.
A total number of people who discovered the island indicated that there were 1 million citizens in 2010, moreover it gradually increases to 1.25 in 2011, 1.5 in 2012. Furthermore, 2 million individuals visited the Island in 2013, 2.5 in 2014 and reached up to 3.5 million in the year 2017.
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 total number of visitors and the breakdown between cruise ship and island-staying tourists. However, the data reporting is inconsistent. For instance, you mention '1.5 million to 3.5 million' as the range for 2017, which is inaccurate based on the graph. Additionally, the description of the total number of visitors is somewhat repetitive and lacks a clear, analytical overview of the trends. To improve, ensure that data points are cited with precision and that the 'overview' paragraph highlights the most significant trends rather than just listing figures.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'whereas', 'furthermore', and 'moreover' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., 'it increased' refers to cruise ship visitors, but the subject is slightly ambiguous). To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus, such as grouping the data by category or by time period more effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You use a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the trends, such as 'significantly rose', 'gradually increases', and 'slight decrease'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'discovered the island' is not the most appropriate term for tourists visiting a destination; 'visited' or 'arrived at' would be better. Additionally, you often omit the unit 'million' after numbers, which makes the data points confusing. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and ensuring consistent use of units will improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'it gradually increases' (tense inconsistency) and 'reached to 2 million' (incorrect preposition usage; 'reached 2 million' is correct). You also have issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'the Island'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on consistent verb tenses and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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