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)
This line graph illustrates number of different tourists visiting in Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. There are three different types of tourists visit the island.
Initially, 0.7 million visitors staying on island in [redacted phone] there is no change in this year, but 2011 to 2013 it gradually increased and up to 1.5 million and stable in two years. After 2015, it will again drop to 1.3 million in 2016, then again grew to 1.5 million in 2017. While 2010, Visitors stayed on cruise ships 0.25 million and rose up to 0.5 million in 2011. After that, it dropped to 0.25 million in 2012. In 2013, visitors gradually rose every year, and up to 2 million in 2017. Lastly, the total is 1 million in 2010 and grew up to each year, and up to 2.8 million in 2015. After 2015, there is no change in one year and again rose up to 3.5 million.
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 response covers all three data series presented in the line graph, making relevant comparisons between visitors staying on the island versus those on cruise ships, as well as the total figures. However, there are some inaccuracies in the reported figures compared to the visual data, such as stating 0.7 million instead of 0.75 million for 2010, and some confusion with the cruise ship trend timeline where it mentions visitors rose up to 2 million after 2013 without clarifying the yearly increments properly. An overview is largely absent at the beginning, as the introduction only states what the graph illustrates without highlighting the main global trends or overall trajectory. Consequently, the task is addressed adequately, but with minor omissions in overall trend synthesis and slight data imprecisions, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to logically sequence the data by category. However, paragraphing is poorly handled, with the main body squeezed into a single, dense, and overly long paragraph that crams multiple data series together. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly used, such as 'While 2010, Visitors stayed...' and 'Lastly, the total is...'. Referencing and logical progression between sentences occasionally become strained, forcing the reader to work harder to follow which trend is being discussed. This lack of clear paragraph structure and flexible cohesive management places the response firmly at Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing words related to data trends such as 'illustrates', 'gradually increased', 'stable', and 'drop'. However, there are frequent lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as 'visiting in Caribbean island' (missing article and preposition choice), 'visitors staying on island', and 'grew up to each year'. Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision and natural collocation. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several noticeable grammatical errors, including tense inconsistencies such as 'it will again drop' when referring to past historical data (2016), missing articles (e.g., 'number of different tourists visiting in Caribbean island'), and awkward clause structures like 'While 2010, Visitors stayed...'. Punctuation is also faulty in places, leading to run-on structures. Although the meaning remains mostly clear despite these errors, the frequency of basic grammatical slips prevents the score from reaching a Band 6.0, making a Band 5.5 appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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