Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-26
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 bar graph illustrates the percentage of tourists visiting a Caribbean island between the years of 2010 to 2017.
Overall, it can be seen that the total number of tourists has had a major increase.While,the people living on cruise ships or staying on land have had their ups and downs.
Firstly,if look at the given graph it indicates that the total number of tourists has increased the most since 2016 and reached it's peak in 2017 with 3.5million visitors.This revolution started from 2012 and since then the percentage has been increasing.
Secondly,we can see that in between the period of 2011 to 2015 tourists enjoyed staying on land more than living in the cruise ships.However,the states have been changed since then.The number of tourists staying on cruise ships rose and has surpased the count of people living on island.As shown in the graph the count of tourists living on island remained stable from 2013 to 2015 but then decreased in 2016 since then there has been slight increase.
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 student addresses the main features of the graph, including the overall upward trend, the peak in 2017 at 3.5 million, and the comparison between visitors staying on island versus those on cruise ships. However, there is a minor task misunderstanding right at the beginning where the writer refers to a 'bar graph' and 'percentage' instead of a line graph showing visitor numbers. Key data points such as the 2017 peak are correctly identified, but the overall development lacks the polish expected for higher bands. It meets the requirements of a Band 6.0 as it addresses the task and highlights key trends, though some descriptions are slightly vague.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text is organized into logical paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for details. However, mechanical errors in cohesion and spacing are noticeable, such as 'While,the', 'Firstly,if', and missing spaces after periods. Furthermore, transitions like 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' are used in a somewhat formulaic manner. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but referencing and mechanical formatting issues pull the score down to Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as 'peak', 'stable', 'decreased', and 'slight increase'. However, there are notable word choice and phrasing inaccuracies, such as 'living on cruise ships' (instead of staying) and 'the states have been changed' (instead of the trend or pattern changed). Spelling and word formation errors, such as 'surpased' and the possessive 'it's' instead of 'its', demonstrate limitations typical of a Band 5.5 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'it can be seen that the total number of tourists has had a major increase.' However, grammatical accuracy is weak due to frequent punctuation errors, missing spaces, run-on sentences, and incorrect verb choices (e.g., 'surpased', 'if look at', 'has had their ups and downs'). While the meaning is generally communicated, these persistent errors place the writing firmly in the Band 5.5 range.
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.