Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-21
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 shows the number of tourists visiting a particular caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.
The overall line graph shows a significant increase in the number of visitors throughout the years.
Firstly, the visitors staying on cruise ships rose to 0.5 million and then it declined again to the initial point. Following this, the number of visitors recovered again to 0.5 million in 2013. After this, the number in millions grew substantially and finally reached at 2 million in 2017.
In contrast, the number of visitors staying on island was static at one point from 2010 to 2011. But it uprised considerably till 2013 and then stabilized at 1.5 million until 2015. After this, it had a backward movement till 2016. However, it rose swiftly until 2017.
Hence, the total number number of visitors also rose.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover the main trends in the graph, noting the progression of visitors staying on cruise ships, those staying on the island, and the total. However, the response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, coming in at only 137 words. Furthermore, some figures are described loosely, such as stating the cruise ship visitors 'declined again to the initial point' without clearly contextualising the starting point of 0.25 million for 2010. While an overview is attempted through scattered concluding remarks, the lack of a distinct overall summary paragraph and the failure to meet length constraints limit the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a basic level of organisation, attempting to separate different categories into distinct sentences and paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In contrast', 'After this', and 'Hence' are used to signal shifts between ideas, although some transitions feel somewhat mechanical. Paragraphing is underdeveloped, as the response consists of a series of very short, disjointed blocks rather than cohesive thematic paragraphs. The logical progression is somewhat hindered by the fragmented structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with attempts to incorporate less common items and descriptive verbs such as 'substantially', 'stabilized', and 'uprised' (though 'uprised' is awkward and inaccurate here). There are noticeable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'reached at 2 million' and 'backward movement'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the limited range and imprecise lexical choices prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'While the visitors staying on cruise ships rose...'. However, control over grammar is inconsistent. Errors include prepositional misuse ('reached at 2 million') and awkward phrasing ('the total number number of visitors'). Punctuation is mostly functional, but sentence structures can be repetitive. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of minor errors and structural awkwardness keeps the score at band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.