Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-05
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 charts illustrate information about the figure of travelers visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017. The figure of visitors is in million.
Overall, the number of visitors staying on island accounted for the highest proportion in the graph throughout the period except 2016 and 2017, whereas the number of visitors staying on cruise ships accounted for the lowest proportion of share in the graph.
Initially, the total number of visitors on Caribbean island around 1 million in 2010 in which 0.75 were stayed at island and rest on cruise. Moreover, it increased sharply till 2015 and reached at around 2.7 million in which 1.5 million were stayed at island and rest on cruise and show no change in 2016. Meanwhile, there was a sharp increment in tourists, around 3.5 million in 2017 and almost 2 million people were stayed at cruise and rest on Caribbean island.
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
The response addresses the task requirements by identifying the main trends and providing data comparisons. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the data reporting. For example, the text states that in 2017, 'almost 2 million people were stayed at cruise and rest on Caribbean island,' which contradicts the visual data where cruise visitors are clearly the minority compared to island stayers. Furthermore, the description of the 2016 data as showing 'no change' is inaccurate as the graph shows a clear upward trend. While the overview is present, the lack of precision in interpreting the figures limits the effectiveness of the summary, preventing it from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. While there is a logical progression, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical. Phrases like 'Initially' and 'Moreover' are used to link ideas, but the transition between the overview and the specific data is abrupt. Paragraphing is present, but the body paragraph is quite dense and would benefit from being split to separate the early years from the final trends. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when referring to the 'rest on cruise' without explicitly stating the total figures for clarity.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is repetitive use of 'figure of' and 'stayed at'. Phrases like 'sharp increment' and 'proportion of share' are slightly unnatural. The student attempts to use specific terminology related to the graph, but word choices are sometimes imprecise, such as 'the figure of travelers' instead of 'the number of tourists'. To improve, the student should focus on using a wider range of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' and ensure that collocations are used correctly to describe statistical data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, 'the figure of travelers visiting a particular Caribbean island' is slightly awkward, and '0.75 were stayed at island' is grammatically incorrect (passive voice misuse). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'reached at around 2.7 million' (should be 'reached around') and 'stayed at cruise' (should be 'stayed on a cruise'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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