Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-11
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 chart illustrates the number of visitors (measured in millions), who had visited Caribbean Island by the periods 2010 and 2017.
Overall, their was increase in numbers of tourits visiting a caribbean Island over the 8 year period. A substantial number of visitors preffered cruise ships throughout the entire period, however visitors staying on island experienced a gradual increase at the end of the period.
In 2010, the figure for total number of visitors remained the highest throughout the entire period. In 2010, 1 million people visited caribbean Island, followed this, the figure accelerated sharply; read nearly doubled in 2013 and rose steady to around 3.5 million in 2017.
Looking into more details separately, initially, 0.25 million visitors had visited and preferred to stay on cruise ships. The figure increased gradually and reached from 0.25 million in 2012 to 2 million in 2017, before fluctuating until 2012. Furthermore, in 2010, 0.50 million people liked to stay on the island, it experie experienced a gradud increase untile 2015. Afterwards, less visitors were attracted and fluctuated within a narrow margin, dipped to a low of about 1.25 million in 2016 and back to 1.5 million in 2017.
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
You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You highlighted the overall increase in visitor numbers and distinguished between the two categories (cruise ship vs. island stay). However, there are some inaccuracies in your data reporting. For instance, you state that the total number of visitors in 2010 was 1 million, whereas the graph indicates a lower starting point. Additionally, your description of the cruise ship data contains some confusion regarding the timeline (e.g., mentioning 2012 before 2010). To reach a higher band, ensure that your data points are precisely aligned with the graph and that your chronological narrative is consistent.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific details. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'Furthermore,' and 'Looking into more details,' which help guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by minor errors in referencing and sequencing. For example, the transition 'followed this' is slightly awkward, and the chronological progression within the second body paragraph is confusing, as you jump between years. Improving the use of linking phrases to show time relationships would enhance the overall coherence of your report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'substantial,' 'accelerated,' 'fluctuating,' and 'narrow margin.' However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'tourits,' 'preffered,' 'gradud,' and 'untile.' Additionally, there are some minor collocation issues, such as 'by the periods 2010 and 2017' instead of 'between 2010 and 2017.' While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a wider variety of precise reporting verbs to describe trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('their was increase') and missing articles ('a caribbean Island'). Some sentences are also slightly fragmented or awkward, such as 'read nearly doubled in 2013.' While these errors rarely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly the use of articles and verb tenses, and ensure that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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