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)
In the graph we can see how many people decided to visit a Caribbean Island from 2010 to 2017. It includes visitors staying on a cruise ship while some decided to stay on the island and then the total amount of visitors on the ship.
Firstly, there were about 0.25 million visitors staying on cruise ships in 2010 and 0.75 staying on islands. It then remained constant for island visitors in 2011 but for cruise ship visitors increased to 0.5 million. Furthermore for cruise ship the number of visitors plummeted in 2012 but then gradually kept rising from 2013 to 2017, it was at its highest at that point being at 2 million, whereas for the island visitors it was fluctuating but remained constant between [redacted phone]. However, it fell rom 1.5 million to 1.25 million in 2016 but escalate back up to 1.5 million in 2017.
Initially for the total amount of visitors, it was at 1 million but boosted up with an increasing rate to 2.5 million till 2015 but then remained constant in [redacted phone] at 2.75 million. However, it had a comeback frpm 2.75 to 3.5 million visitors in total.
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
You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You covered all categories (cruise ship, island, and total visitors) and made relevant comparisons. However, the report lacks precision in some areas. For instance, you mention the cruise ship visitors 'plummeted' in 2012, but the data shows a more nuanced change. Additionally, the description of the total visitor figures is slightly confusing in the final paragraph, as the data points mentioned do not align perfectly with the visual trends. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data points are accurately transcribed and that your summary highlights the most significant differences between the two visitor types more clearly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'However' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel abrupt. For example, the transition between the cruise ship data and the island visitor data in the second paragraph could be smoother. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear; in the final paragraph, the phrase 'it had a comeback' is vague, and it is not immediately clear which data set you are referring to. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun references would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'remained constant', 'fluctuating', and 'escalate'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation that slightly hinder the professional tone of the report. For example, 'boosted up' is informal and not ideal for an academic report, and 'comeback' is not the most appropriate term for describing statistical growth. There are also minor spelling errors, such as 'rom' instead of 'from' and 'frpm' instead of 'from'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic verbs and nouns, and ensure you proofread for small typographical errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text. For instance, 'it was at its highest at that point being at 2 million' is clunky and grammatically awkward. You also have issues with subject-verb agreement and missing articles, such as 'for cruise ship the number of visitors'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Focusing on sentence construction and ensuring consistent verb tenses would help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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