Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-16
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 illustrates the number of tourists visiting a Caribbean island between the year 2010 and 2017. Units are measured in millions.
Overall, the visitors staying on cruise ships rose despite the fluctuations. While visitors staying on the island also rose despite the fluctuations but stays same where it was before.
0.3 millions visitors stay on cruise ships in the year 2010 which was the lowest at that time. Likewise, 0.7 millions visitors stay on island in the same year. When the number visitors staying on cruise ships were at their lowest it rose to 1 millions visitor despite the fluctuations in the year 2014 and it gradually increase to 2 millions visitor by the year 2017 which was the highest.
On the other hand, the number of visitors staying on the island rose to 1.5 millions visitor in the year 2013 and stays same in the following year 2014 and 2015. However there were decrease in visitors in year 2016 but it again rose to 1.5 millions visitor by the year 2017. Lastly, the total number of visitors staying on both cruise ships and island rose from 1 millions visitor to 3.5 millions visitor by the year 2017.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all major parts of the task by reporting the trends for visitors staying on cruise ships, those staying on the island, and the total number of tourists between 2010 and 2017. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, stating that both categories rose despite fluctuations, though the second sentence is grammatically muddled ("While visitors staying on the island also rose despite the fluctuations but stays same..."). Key features, such as the starting and ending points and the peak for cruise ship visitors reaching 2 millions, are correctly identified and supported with data from the graph. However, there are minor inaccuracies in some numbers (e.g., "0.3 millions" instead of 0.25, "0.7 millions" instead of 0.75), which are minor reading discrepancies against the raw data. Overall, the response addresses the prompt adequately, achieving a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, following a logical introduction, overview, and body paragraph structure. However, paragraphing and logical progression are occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For instance, the transition "When the number visitors staying on cruise ships were at their lowest it rose to 1 millions visitor..." lacks clarity and smooth flow. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the second sentence of the overview contains a confusing contrast ("While... but..."). Cohesive devices are used, but they are repetitive or sometimes inaccurate. Paragraphing is present and separates the introduction, overview, and specific data points adequately, placing the response overall at a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as "illustrates," "fluctuations," "gradually increase," and "total number of visitors." However, there are frequent errors in pluralisation and word forms associated with numbers, such as writing "0.3 millions" instead of "0.3 million" and "1 millions visitor" instead of "1 million visitors." These errors indicate limitations in lexical control and precision. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main trends of the graph, these recurring grammatical-lexical slips prevent the response from achieving a higher band score, placing it firmly at a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and accuracy is inconsistent. There are numerous basic grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ("visitors stay on cruise ships", "stays same in the following year"), missing prepositions, and incorrect noun pluralisation after numbers ("1 millions visitor"). The second sentence of the overview is structurally flawed ("While visitors staying on the island also rose despite the fluctuations but stays same..."). Although these errors rarely completely impede communication, their high frequency across the short text demonstrates limited grammatical control, consistent with a Band 5.0 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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