Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-29

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 Pie chart illustrate that the comparison of visitors who visit the Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, it is clearly seen that the visit of Caribbean island dramatically increase in staying on cruise ships where as tourists who staying on island slight increase throughout the year.

To starting with, the visitors staying on cruise ships fluctuate there trend between the year 2010 to 2012. After that it rapidly increase the number of visitors started from 0 and reached at the top 2 millons and it was the highest score in both 2017. Whereas, the number of visitors staying on island slight increase and it recorded there trend from 0 to 1.5 millions between the year 2010 to 2017.

Futhermore, the numbers of tourists in both trends was 3.5 millions. In 2010, the total was 1 million then it slight increase and add half million visitors in 2012. Between the year 2012 to 2017 it rapidly increase and reached at peak of 3.5 million visitors in both trends.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying the trends for both cruise ship and island-staying tourists. However, the data interpretation is inconsistent. For instance, stating that cruise ship visitors 'started from 0' is inaccurate based on typical graph data, and the description of the figures is somewhat confusing, particularly the claim that the total reached 3.5 million in 2017. While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the data points and the slight confusion in the summary of figures prevent this from reaching a higher band. The overview is present but could be more clearly articulated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'To starting with' and 'Futhermore'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the logical progression between sentences is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing. While there is an overall attempt at a logical flow, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive nature of some transitions limit the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'illustrate' instead of 'illustrates' and 'slight increase' used as a verb instead of 'slightly increased'. The range is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors like 'increase' and 'fluctuate'. To improve, you should focus on using more varied verbs and adverbs to describe trends, such as 'soared', 'plummeted', or 'gradual growth', and ensure correct word forms are used.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The Pie chart illustrate'), incorrect tense usage ('it recorded there trend'), and spelling errors ('Futhermore'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable and detract from the overall quality of the writing. Greater attention to basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the accuracy of your work.

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

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