Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-30

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 line graph illustrates the total visitors visiting a specific island from 2010 to 2017. Overall, The total number of visitors shows a upward trend. Although visitors who stayed on cruise ships and visitors who stayed on island fluctuated, it increased overall. In 2010, Total number of tourists was 1 million and it increased steadily to 1.5 millions in 2012. It holds same trend and became nearly 2.7 millions in 2015. afterwards total number of visitors surged to 3.5 millions. Number of visitors who stayed on cruise ships was 0.7 millions in 2010 which increased to 1.5 millions in 2013. Though it fell to nearly 1 million tourists, it ended up with 1.5 millions visitors .In 2010, number of visitors who stayed on island was approximately 0.2 million .The figure fluctuated and slightly increased to 0.5 millions in 2013. Afterward the figure dramatically increased and ended up with 2 millions visitors in 2017 give me a band score

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided data to support your descriptions. You included an overview, which is essential for a high score. However, the response could be improved by better grouping the data. For instance, instead of listing every year, you could focus more on the comparative growth rates between cruise ship visitors and island stayers. The data points are generally accurate, but ensure you use consistent units (e.g., '1.5 millions' should be '1.5 million'). Overall, you have covered the requirements of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized, moving from an overview to specific details. You use some cohesive devices like 'Although', 'In 2010', and 'Afterward' to link ideas. However, the paragraphing is quite limited; the entire body is essentially one block of text. To improve, you should separate the two categories (cruise ship visitors vs. island stayers) into distinct paragraphs to enhance the logical flow. Additionally, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother to avoid repetitive sentence structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'upward trend', 'fluctuated', 'surged', and 'dramatically increased'. These are appropriate for a report of this nature. There are some minor errors in word form and usage, such as 'total visitors visiting' (redundant) and the incorrect pluralization of 'millions' when preceded by a number. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the sophistication and variety required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as missing articles ('the total number', 'the island') and subject-verb agreement issues ('It holds same trend'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around periods and commas. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more error-free sentences and greater variety in how you introduce data points, as many sentences currently follow the same 'Subject + verb + number' pattern.

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

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