Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-13
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 graph depicts the number of tourists visiting Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017. Overall, the total number of visitors were increasing continously throughout the time period while the number of tourists staying on cruise ships and visitor staying on island were fluctuated through the time period.
Firstly, the total number of tourists were 1 millions in 2010 and after that tourists increasing steadily throughout the time. Moreover the number of visitors were at 2.8 millions in 2015 and remain the same for 1 year and after that these increased significantly at 3.5 millions in 2017.
Secondly, the number of visitor staying on Island were at 0.75 millions in 2010 and then remained same for 1 year after that increased steadily of visitor staying on island were at 1.5 millions in 2013. The number of tourists remain the same for two year from 2013 to 2015 and then declined to 1.25 millions in 2016 after that again increased to 1.5 millions in 2017. furthermore the number of tourists staying on cruise ship were at 0.25 millions in 2010 and after there were fluctuation in visitor and then number of tourists increased drastically and reached to 2 millions 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 | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the line graph regarding total tourists, those staying on the island, and those on cruise ships between 2010 and 2017. Relevant comparisons are made across categories, such as contrasting the steady growth of total visitors with the fluctuations in island stays and the dramatic rise in cruise ship passengers. However, some data points are slightly imprecise, and the overview could be more sharply integrated. Nevertheless, the main trends are clearly identified and supported with figures from the graph, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression, moving from total visitors to specific accommodation types. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical due to repetitive and unnatural transitional phrases like 'Firstly', 'after that', 'Secondly', and 'furthermore'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the body of the text is lumped into overly dense chunks rather than being clearly divided into distinct analytical paragraphs. Referencing is generally clear, but the overuse of sequential linkers detracts from the fluency of the text. These features place the response firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range, best represented by a 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey basic trends such as 'increasing continuously', 'steadily', 'fluctuated', and 'declined'. However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'visitor staying on island' instead of 'visitors staying on the island', and grammatical inflexions like 'number of tourists were' instead of 'was'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy, and repetitive phrasing ('remain the same', 'increased') limits the score. The lexical range is minimally sufficient to communicate the main ideas, aligning with the Band 5.5 or 6.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several subject-verb agreement errors, such as 'the total number of tourists were' and 'the number of visitors were', where the singular head noun requires a singular verb. Punctuation is weak, with run-on sentences joined by 'and after that' without proper comma usage or conjunction variety. While some error-free clauses exist, frequent structural and grammatical slips cause occasional distraction for the reader. These characteristics correspond to a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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