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 graph presents number of tourists visiting Caribbean island during the period of 2010 to 2017.
To give the overview, visitors staying on cruise ships fluctuated a bit but showed a gradual increase. After that, number of visitors staying on the island remained constant first year then showed inclination after the figure vaired throughtout the period. Lastly, total number of visitors visiting the Caribbean island showed gradual increase throughout the years till 2016 then inclined.
However elaborating further, visitors that stayed on island has more number of tourists as compared to visitors staying on cruise ship. Visitors that stayed at cruise ships were less than half a milllion at first and went upto 3.5 million. Similarly, tourists that stayed on the island was constant till 2011 and increased till 2013, the number of tourists remained the same that were 1.5 million. After the graph fluctuated in incoming years.
The amount of tourists in 2010 were a million that went upto almost 3 million remained steady till 2016. After that, rose to 3.5 million tourists till 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
The response covers the main features of the graph, including the trends for cruise ship visitors, island stayers, and the total. However, the data reporting is inconsistent and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the claim that cruise ship visitors went up to '3.5 million' is not supported by the provided graph, which shows figures closer to 1.5 million. Additionally, the description of the trends is somewhat confusing, particularly the mention of figures remaining 'constant' or 'steady' when the graph shows clear fluctuations. To improve, ensure that data points are read precisely and that the summary clearly distinguishes between the three categories throughout the period.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression is hindered by awkward transitions and unclear referencing. Phrases like 'After that' and 'However elaborating further' are used in a way that does not effectively connect the ideas. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally confusing, such as the abrupt shift between describing the categories and the total. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would significantly enhance the flow of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There is frequent repetition of basic verbs like 'showed', 'increased', and 'went up'. Some word choices are imprecise or incorrect in context, such as 'inclination' (which usually refers to a tendency or slope, not a rise in data) and 'vaired' (a misspelling of varied). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more varied reporting verbs and nouns, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', 'remained stable', or 'a significant rise', and ensure correct spelling throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'presents number of tourists'), subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'visitors that stayed on island has'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'the number of tourists remained the same that were 1.5 million'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and article usage will help improve the overall accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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