Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-04
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 5.0)
The graph illustrates the duration of 7 years between 2010 and 2017, in which millions of visitors visiting a specific Caribbean island.
Overall, the total 3.5 million of tourists had been staying on island. Some guests stayed on the cruise ships and others on island. The significant increase had shown in both types. Combine effect showed a dramatic increase in visitors.
The visitors staying on the cruise ships was approximately 0.3 million, but in 2011 it moderately increased up to 0.5 million, while in 2012, it falls toward 0.3 million again. In 2013 it reached at 0.5 million tourists, then show the upward trend till 2017 and peaked at 2 million visitors.
The guests staying on island, in 2010, the digit was nearly 0.7 million and remained same till 2011. After that it showed the subsequent increase till 2015 and was 1.5 million tourists, while in 2016 it dropped to 1.3 billion and in last year it again climbed towards 1.5 million.
The total lines showed that the trend had been fluctuates during these 7 years. It started from 1 billion and touched 3.5 billion. Hence the number of visitors on Caribbean island were peaked during these years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the task by identifying the main trends for both cruise ship and island visitors. However, there are significant inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you state the total reached '3.5 billion' and '1 billion', which is a major misinterpretation of the scale (millions). Additionally, the description of the data is sometimes confusing, such as claiming the total 'fluctuates' when the overall trend is clearly upward. While you have selected the main features, the lack of precision in reporting the figures and the confusion between millions and billions significantly impacts the clarity and accuracy of the summary.
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. Phrases like 'The total lines showed' and 'Combine effect showed' are awkward and do not effectively link ideas. The progression of information is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the transition between the cruise ship data and the island visitor data. While there is an attempt at logical sequencing, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive sentence structure hinder the flow of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. You rely on basic verbs like 'showed', 'reached', and 'climbed'. There are also significant errors in word choice and units of measurement, such as using 'digit' to refer to a number of people and incorrectly stating 'billion' instead of 'million'. These errors are frequent and occasionally cause confusion for the reader. To improve, you should focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'surged', 'dipped', or 'remained stable', and ensure that units of measurement are used consistently and accurately.
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 'the total 3.5 million of tourists had been staying on island' (incorrect article usage and preposition) and 'in last year it again climbed' (missing article). Subject-verb agreement is also inconsistent, such as 'the number of visitors... were peaked'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar, articles, and tense usage prevents the writing from reaching a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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