Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-19
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 illustrates the number of tourists who visited Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.
Overall, number of tourists increased considerably over the period, althrough there were some fluctuations. The graph reached its highest peak point in 2017.
In 2010, visitors who stayed on the cruise ships were approximately 0.2 million in contrast the visitors who stayed on the island were higher in numbers and they were approximately 0.8 million.The graph increased steadily around 1 million in 2010 as total. In the middle, visitors stayed on the cruise ship were 1 million and were lower in numbers as compared to the visitors who stayed on the island in 2014 and they were 1.5 million, they stayed constant for a lot of time.
In the last, visitors who stayed on the cruise ships got peak point and reached to 2 million in 2017, while visitors who stayed on the island were lower than visitors who stayed on the cruise ships and they were 1.5 million, the total number of visitors reached to peak point which was 3.5 million 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 | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully covers the main features of the graph, identifying the overall upward trend, the fluctuations, and the end figures for 2017. A clear overview is provided in the second paragraph, which meets the core requirements of Task 1. However, some of the data points cited contain inaccuracies when compared against the visual data (for example, stating that visitors staying on the island were approximately 0.8 million in 2010 when the chart shows 0.75, and confusing some intermediate values). Furthermore, the details in the body paragraphs lack smooth integration and some comparisons are slightly muddled, such as the description of the middle years. Overall, the response addresses all parts of the task adequately, but minor inaccuracies and under-developed comparisons place it at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs covering the data. There is a logical progression overall, moving from a general statement to specific details. However, cohesive devices are sometimes faulty, mechanical, or awkwardly used (e.g., 'In the middle, visitors stayed...', 'In the last, visitors who stayed...'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, and sentences can feel disjointed due to run-on structures or inadequate transitional phrases. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks fluency. This reflects the descriptors for Band 5.5 to 6.0, fitting comfortably at a Band 6.0 level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms such as 'fluctuations', 'constant', 'peak point', and 'total number of visitors'. However, there are noticeable word choice errors and unnatural collocations, such as 'reached its highest peak point' (redundant) and 'visitors who stayed on the cruise ships got peak point'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the lack of precise lexical control and repetition of basic vocabulary structures restrict the score. The range is sufficient to communicate the main message, aligning well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using relative clauses ('visitors who stayed on...') and conjunctions ('while', 'although'). However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text. There are issues with article usage ('visited Caribbean island'), spelling/word errors ('althrough'), run-on sentences lacking proper punctuation, and awkward phrasing ('the graph increased steadily around 1 million in 2010 as total'). While these errors do not completely obscure meaning, they cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the text from achieving a higher band. The majority of sentences contain errors, making Band 5.5 the most appropriate score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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