Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-27

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 given line graph displays the amount of tourists that have been to a single Caribbean island from the financial years 2010 to 2017.The x axis represents the different visitors and y axis depicts the number of visitors in millions.

To begin with,2011 was the year that had a the least number of visitors , with only about 0.25 million tourists actually staying on the cruise ships whereas people that stayed on island were about 0.75 million. The total number of visitors resulted up to 1 million this year. This was followed by year 2012 which only had a slight greater people staying on the ships. Furthermore, the mass of people stayed on island remained relatively stable up until 2015 and the tourists on cruise ships grew significantly that resulted to about 2.75 million total visitors by 2015. In contrast, the final two years continued to contribute to the popularity of visitors with a peak on the year 2017 with 3.5 million of total visitors.

Overall, it is clear from all the perspectives that 2017 was the peak year where the total amount of people skyrocketed. By contrast, the year 2010 was the trough year in terms of tourists visited.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You covered the key features, such as the growth in cruise ship visitors and the peak in 2017. However, the response lacks precision in reporting figures. For instance, you mention '0.25 million' and '0.75 million' for 2011, but the graph shows these figures differently. Additionally, the description of the x-axis is inaccurate; it represents years, not 'different visitors'. To improve, ensure you carefully cross-reference the data points with the axes and provide a more accurate summary of the specific trends observed over the seven-year period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a summary. You use some cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'In contrast' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'resulted up to' and 'slight greater people'. The referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the description of the cruise ship visitors and the island stayers could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used naturally will help elevate your score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the main points, using terms like 'skyrocketed', 'trough', and 'significantly'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'amount of tourists' (should be 'number of tourists'), 'mass of people' (which is slightly unnatural in this context), and 'resulted to' (should be 'resulted in'). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that your collocations are natural. Avoid repetitive phrasing and try to incorporate more specific terminology related to data description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use some complex sentences, there are several grammatical errors, such as '2011 was the year that had a the least number', 'slight greater people', and 'peak on the year 2017'. These errors do not generally impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, pay closer attention to article usage, comparative structures, and prepositional phrases. Proofreading for small errors like 'a the' will significantly improve the overall accuracy of your writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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