Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-22
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 line graph illustrates the number of tourists visiting a Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. Overall, it is noticeable that total tourists experienced a significant increase, whereas visitors staying on island were initially increased, followed by a gradual decrease throughout the period. Returning to the details, in 2010 visitors staying on cruise ships stood at around 0.3 millions. It showed fluctuation till 2013, then raised significantly, reaching 2.2 million in 2017. Furthermore, the number of tourists staying on island recorded at approximately 0.7 millions in the start of the period. Afterward this figure climbed up and remained constant in 2015, having 1.4 millions tourists. At the end of the period, it reached 1.5 millions visitors. Moreover, total number of visitors, including staying on cruise ship and island, initially reported 1 millions. It surged dramatically, peaked at 3 millions in number of tourists in the Caribbean island.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all the key features of the line graph, including the overall trends and data points for tourists staying on cruise ships, those staying on the island, and the total figures. An overview is successfully attempted, noting the significant increase in overall tourists and the differing trends of the sub-categories. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting specific figures, such as stating that visitors on cruise ships reached "2.2 million in 2017" (when it was around 2 million) and describing the island visitors as being "constant in 2015, having 1.4 millions tourists" (the chart shows 1.5 million). Additionally, the response falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum requirement at 147 words, resulting in a minor penalty under this criterion. Overall, the information is mostly accurate and relevant.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response exhibits a clear overall arrangement and logical progression, starting with an introductory sentence and an overview, followed by body details. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as "Returning to the details," "Furthermore," and "Moreover." However, paragraphing is somewhat weak as the entire response is grouped into a single block of text rather than being separated into clear paragraphs for the overview and individual body details. Referencing is generally clear, though some transitional phrasing feels slightly mechanical or unnatural.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for a data-summarisation task, including terms like "fluctuation," "dramatically," and "surge." However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice and pluralisation, such as writing "0.3 millions" (instead of "million"), "increased, followed by a gradual decrease" (awkward passive construction), and "raised significantly" (incorrect verb choice; should be "rose"). Despite these errors and occasional awkward collocations, the vocabulary is adequate to convey the main points without severely impeding communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory subordinate clauses ("Overall, it is noticeable that..."). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout the text, including tense and verb form issues (e.g., "visitors staying on island were initially increased" and "recorded at approximately 0.7 millions in the start"). Preposition choices are also occasionally flawed (e.g., "in the start" instead of "at the start"). While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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