Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-18
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 5.0)
The line graph illustrates the number of visitors staying on cruise ship and the number of tourists staying on island in Caribbean between 2010 and 2017.
Overall, there were huge number of people who were deciding to stay on cruise boat in seven years as compared to tourists who were staying on island. However, the total number of visitors increased in just seven years.
In 2010, around 0.3 million people visited Caribbean island and decided to stay on luxury boat but in 2011, the number of visitors increased to 0.5 million who were staying on passenger ship but after a year passing number of visitors were same as 2010. Again, 0.5 million people stayed on cruise ship. In 2010 and 2011 around 0.7 million tourists spent time on cruise boat but the number of visitors surged to 1.5 million in 2013.
The number of people who stayed on cruise liner increased to 2 million people in 2014 to 2017. However, the number of tourists who were staying on island remained constant in 2014 and 2015 same as the year of 2013, but after a year passing less people were deciding to spent time on island. Moreover, again 1.5 million visitors were staying on island
At last, 3.5 million people in total were visiting Carribean island between 2010 and 2017.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover the main features of the graph, outlining data points for both categories and the total. However, the overview is factually incorrect and contradicts the data; the student states that more people stayed on cruise boats compared to the island, whereas the graph clearly shows that island stays were higher for most of the period, and cruise ships only surpassed them towards the very end. Furthermore, there are several data inaccuracies in the body paragraphs, such as stating that '0.7 million tourists spent time on cruise boat' in 2010 and 2011 (when the actual figure for cruise ships was 0.25 and 0.5 million, and 0.7 million was actually the figure for island stays). Due to these inaccuracies and a flawed overview, the task is only partially addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, but the logical flow is disrupted by confusing comparisons and poor paragraph transitions. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively (e.g., 'after a year passing', 'again', 'At last'). The overview fails to provide a clear summary of the overall trends, instead offering a sweeping statement that is contradicted by the data. Referencing is frequently unclear, leaving the reader confused as to whether the student is discussing cruise ships or island stays in certain sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is repetitive and basic, relying heavily on simple phrasing such as 'number of visitors', 'staying on island', and 'cruise ship'. There are also unnatural collocations and word choices, such as 'cruise boat', 'luxury boat', and 'passenger ship' used interchangeably in ways that sound unnatural for academic writing. Spelling and word formation errors appear, such as 'Carribean' (Caribbean) and awkward phrasing like 'less people were deciding to spent time'. The lexical range is minimally adequate to convey basic ideas, but lacks precision and flexibility.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many of the complex structures are faulty or awkwardly constructed, such as 'around 0.3 million people visited Caribbean island and decided to stay on luxury boat but in 2011, the number of visitors increased to 0.5 million who were staying on passenger ship'. Grammatical errors are frequent, including missing articles ('visited Caribbean island'), tense confusion ('were same as 2010'), and awkward participial clauses ('after a year passing'). These errors frequently cause strain and difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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