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 given graph illustrates information about the number of tourists in millions visiting a particular Caribbean island between a seven year span from 2010 to 2017.
Overall, the total number of the visitors followed an upward trend, while the number of visitors staying on a cruise ship, after certain fluctuations, were comparatively high than visitors staying on an island.
On the one hand, the total number of tourists were 1 million in 2010 followed by a gradual increase to 2 million in 2013. The figure raised to half a million and turned 2.5 in 2014. Moreover, 2.7 million visitors arrived on the Caribbean island in 2015 which remained relatively stable till 2016 followed by a dramatic increase to 3.5 million in 2017.
On the other hand, the figure of visitors staying on a cruise ship and on an island was was 0.3 and 0.8 million in 2010 respectively, however a slight increase was seen in tourists staying on a cruise afterwards. A decline was again seen in 2012 on the cruise with an upward trend in 2013, while the figure staying on island surged. The number of tourists soared to 1 million in 2014 on the ship while visitors on island levelled off. A continuous increase was then seen the following two years and surpassed visitors staying on an island, which declined to 1.2 million, in 2015 reaching 2 million in 2017.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and selecting key features from the chart such as the overall upward trend and the breakdown between cruise ship visitors and island stayers. The main trends and comparative data are reported with reasonable accuracy. For instance, the total number starting at 1 million in 2010 and reaching 3.5 million in 2017 is correctly identified. However, there are some minor inaccuracies or slight data misreadings in the body paragraphs, such as the statement that visitors staying on cruise ships were 'comparatively high than visitors staying on an island' overall, whereas the two categories fluctuate and intersect throughout the period. Despite these minor lapses, the response successfully satisfies the requirements of Task Achievement, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs covering the respective categories. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, employing transition phrases like 'Overall', 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover'. However, some of the referencing and logical links are occasionally mechanical or slightly confusing, such as 'The figure raised to half a million and turned 2.5 in 2014', which creates a minor disruption in flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overall trends from the specific data details, resulting in a coherent overall arrangement that fits the Band 6 descriptors well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting words and phrases such as 'upward trend', 'fluctuations', 'gradual increase', and 'surged'. However, there are several lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'the figure raised to' (instead of rose or increased), 'turned 2.5' (instead of reached 2.5), and spelling or phrasing slips like 'comparatively high than' (instead of higher than). While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect a limited precision that places the lexical resource within the Band 6 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
A mix of simple and complex sentence structures is attempted throughout the response, including subordinate clauses introduced by 'while', 'after', and 'however'. There are, nevertheless, frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'the number of visitors... were comparatively high' (subject-verb agreement error), 'the figure of visitors staying on a cruise ship and on an island was was' (repetition and agreement issues), and preposition misuse. Although these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher score, making Band 6 an appropriate assessment.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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