Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-28
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 compares number of visitors staying on cruise ships, visitors staying on island anf total tourists who are visting Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.
Overall, total number of visitors remained the most highest throughout the period, while people staying on cruise ship experienced the most significant growth. In contrast, tourist sttaying on the island saw amarked decline.
In 2010, total visitors had approximately 1 million visitors, considerably more than the others. Its number rose to 3.5 million in 2017. Tourist staying on cruise ship showed upward trent starting at only 0.3 million in 2010, fluctuated slightly before increasing to about 2 million in 2010.
By contrast, people staying in hotel has less upward trent, there are 0.7 million people in 2010 then remained stable
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the prompt by comparing the visitor categories in the line graph, but the response falls significantly short of the 150-word minimum requirement (containing only 127 words), which impacts task completion. While an overview is provided in the second paragraph, some details contain factual inaccuracies or typographical confusions (e.g., stating that cruise ship numbers increased to 2 million in '2010' instead of 2017, and omitting data for 2013-2016). Key features such as overall trends are mentioned, but the support and data points are underdeveloped due to the incomplete body paragraphs and insufficient length.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is divided into short paragraphs including an introduction, overview, and fragmented body paragraphs. There is an attempt at logical organisation with transitional phrases such as 'Overall' and 'In contrast', but the cohesion is hindered by abrupt phrasing, missing information, and broken thoughts (e.g., 'there are 0.7 million people in 2010 then remained stable'). Paragraphing is initiated, but the underdeveloped and unfinished nature of the final sentences disrupts the overall progression and flow of ideas.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a minimally adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words such as 'significant growth', 'marked decline', and 'fluctuated'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('anf' instead of 'and', 'amarked', 'sttaying', 'trent') and awkward word choices or collocations ('the most highest', 'Tourist staying on cruise ship'). While some less common lexical items are attempted, inaccuracies in word formation and spelling reduce precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several missing articles ('compares number of visitors', 'staying on island') and tense confusion ('had approximately 1 million visitors' instead of 'stood at'). Punctuation and subject-verb agreement errors are also present (e.g., 'people staying in hotel has less upward trent'). While meaning is generally recoverable, these frequent errors impact the accuracy of the writing.
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