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 the total tourists experienced a significant increase, whereas the number of visitors staying on island were initially increased, followed by a gradual decrease throughout the period. Turning to the details, in 2010, the number of the visitors staying on cruise ships stood at around 0.3 million. It showed fluctuation untill 2013, then rose significantly, reaching 2.2 million in 2017. Furthermore, the number of tourists staying on island recorded at approximately 0.7 million in the start of the period. Afterwards, this figure climbed up and remained constant in 2015, having 1.4 million tourists. At the end of the period, it reached 1.5 million proportion of visitors. Moreover, the total number of visitors including staying on cruise ships and island initially reported 1 million. It surged dramatically, peaked at 3 millions in number of tourists in the Caribbean island.
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 by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the given categories. An overview is successfully provided in the second sentence, noting the overall increase in total tourists and outlining the contrasting trends of visitors staying on the island versus those staying on cruise ships. However, some of the specific data points cited in the body paragraphs contain inaccuracies or approximations that diverge from the visual data (for instance, cruise ship visitors in 2017 reached 2.0 million rather than 2.2 million, and the total peak was 3.5 million rather than 3 million). Despite these minor data reading discrepancies, the general trends and main comparisons are adequately presented, fulfilling the core requirements of Task Achievement at a Band 6.5 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression from the introduction and overview to the detailed body sentences. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Turning to the details', 'Furthermore', and 'Moreover' are employed to guide the reader through the data. However, paragraphing is somewhat deficient, as the entire body of information is crammed into a single block rather than being divided into logical thematic paragraphs. Additionally, referencing and transitional mechanics are occasionally mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'having 1.4 million tourists' and 'including staying on cruise ships and island'. These organizational shortcomings and lack of proper paragraph division keep the score at Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing graphical data, including terms such as 'illustrates', 'significant increase', 'gradual decrease', 'fluctuation', and 'surged dramatically'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and collocations are awkward or inaccurate, such as 'number of visitors staying on island were initially increased' and 'proportion of visitors' used as a synonym for absolute numbers. Spelling is generally accurate, though minor grammatical-lexical slips occur (e.g., 'untill'). The lexical range is sufficient to communicate the main ideas clearly, matching the criteria for Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in grammatical structures. There are several noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('number of visitors staying on island were initially increased'), missing prepositions ('recorded at approximately'), and awkward participle clauses ('having 1.4 million tourists'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors are frequent, they rarely impede the overall communication of the data trends. This balance of mixed structures and persistent non-systematic errors places the performance firmly at Band 6.0.
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