Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-06

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 graph demonstrates number of tourists who visiting a Caribben island and its State like tourists who prefare to stay on a cruise or visitors staying on island between 2010 and 2017

Over all, Total number of visitors increase gradualy throughout the period. Visitors who stay on island it is notice that they slightly increase. Meanwhile tourisits who decside to stay in cruise they are gradualy decrease the become unstable

Tourists total number witness a significant change From 2010 start from 1 million till reaching 3.5 million in 2017. it was a great jump. furthermore visitors who decided to stay on island are stayed stable from 2010 to 2011 by 0.7 million then it stepped up from 2011 to 2016 reaching to 1.25 million visitors then have slightly increase around 1.5 million

Meanwhile, Visitors staying on cruise ship decrease gradualy in 2011 and return back stable in 2012 around 0.2 million then it witness a significant increase starting from 2013 by 0.5 million to 2 million visitors in 2017

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the graph, including the overall trend and specific data points for both categories. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the description of the cruise ship visitors as 'unstable' is vague, and the data interpretation contains inaccuracies, such as stating the cruise visitors reached 2 million in 2017 when the graph shows a different figure. While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the data and some confusion in the overview prevent a higher score. The response addresses the prompt but lacks the analytical depth required for a higher band.

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 'furthermore' used to introduce a new category rather than an additional point. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed. While there is a logical progression from the overview to the specific details, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive sentence structures limit the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'increase', 'decrease', and 'stable'. There are several spelling errors, such as 'Caribben', 'prefare', 'gradualy', and 'decside'. The range of vocabulary is just adequate to convey the basic meaning, but there is no attempt to use less common lexical items or precise collocations related to data description. The errors in word choice and spelling are noticeable and occasionally distract from the clarity of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Total number of visitors increase', 'visitors... are stayed stable') and missing articles ('demonstrates number of tourists'). Sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors, such as 'Meanwhile tourisits who decside to stay in cruise they are gradualy decrease the become unstable'. These errors are frequent and sometimes impede the reader's understanding of the data being presented.

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

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