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 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 and remained same where it was before.
0.3 million visitors stayed on cruise ships in the year 2010 which was the lowest at that time. Likewise, 0.7 million visitors stayed on the island in the same year. When the number of visitors staying on cruise ships were at their lowest it rose to 1 million visitors despite the fluctuations in the year 2014 and it gradually increased to 2 million visitors by the year 2017, which was the highest.
On the other hand, the number of visitors staying on the island rose to 1.5 million visitors in the year 2013 and stays same in the following years 2014 and 2015. However there was a decrease in visitors in the year 2016 but it again rose to 1.5 million visitors by the year 2017. Lastly, the total number of visitors staying on both cruise ships and the island rose from 1 million visitors to 3.5 million visitors by the year 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 student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and trends visible in the line graph, and makes relevant comparisons. An overview is attempted, stating that visitors staying on cruise ships rose despite fluctuations, and that island-staying visitors also experienced fluctuations before returning to previous levels. However, the overview is somewhat simplistic and lacks precision. In the body paragraphs, some data points are slightly inaccurate compared to the visual data (for instance, stating that cruise ship visitors started at 0.3 million in 2010 when the chart shows 0.25 million, and 0.7 million instead of 0.75 million). Nevertheless, the general trends and the final figures are reported adequately, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression from the introduction to the overview, body paragraphs detailing specific categories, and a mention of the total figures. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the visual data. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', and 'Lastly', though some of the referencing and sentence links feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'despite the fluctuations'. Paragraph transitions work adequately to guide the reader through the data, supporting a solid Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suited to the task, including terms like 'illustrates', 'fluctuations', 'gradually increased', and 'decrease'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but some expressions are repetitive or imprecise, such as 'remained same where it was before' and 'stays same in the following years'. Word choice and spelling are generally functional, and although occasional awkward phrasings occur, they do not impede communication. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and time clauses (e.g., 'When the number of visitors staying on cruise ships were at their lowest...'). There are some noticeable grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('When the number of visitors... were') and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is generally acceptable, though some sentences run on without optimal comma usage. These errors occur but rarely impede communication, placing the grammatical performance firmly at Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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