Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-29
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 graph shows the information about visitors who visiting a caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. In 2010, more visitors staying on island than staying on cruise ship. visitors staying on cruise ships had fluactuated in between 2010 and 2012. Then, has steadily increased till 2017. Whereas, tourists who staying on the island had highest number of visitors at the beginning remaining same amount of visitors from 2010 to 2011. Again,it was increasing till 2013 at 1.5 millions of visitors. Moreover, it had same trend till 2015. Although the visitors staying on island had highest numbers of visitors till 2015, it had fallen at 1.25 millions in 2016, whereas visitors on cruise had higher number of visitors at 1.5 millions in the same year.
Since the numbers of visitors on cruise were increased steadily, it had the highest numbers of visitors of 2 millions with its growing trend by 2017.
However, the total number of tourist had the stronghest growth throughout the period of 2010 to 2017. As there was a slide dropping in visitors on island the total number of visiors were remaining same in the period of 2015 to 2016. Then, it had increased with the fluctuation of visitors on island from 2016 to 2017.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student covers most parts of the task by reporting the key trends for visitors staying on cruise ships, those staying on the island, and the total numbers between 2010 and 2017. An overview can be inferred, and major features such as the upward trend of cruise ship visitors and the fluctuations in island visitors are identified. However, the data points are occasionally imprecise or awkwardly reported, such as stating that tourists staying on the island had the highest number of visitors at the beginning while misinterpreting some specific trajectory details. Furthermore, the response lacks a clear, distinct opening overview paragraph that summarises the main trends as a whole, which prevents it from reaching a higher band score. The information presented is generally relevant to the graph, but the lack of polished selection keeps the task achievement at a moderate level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is arranged into paragraphs, but the paragraphing and structural flow are quite disjointed. Sentences often begin abruptly without smooth transitions, and the logical progression between ideas is hindered by repetitive phrasing and weak cohesive devices, such as 'Then, has steadily increased' and 'Again, it was increasing'. Additionally, referencing is sometimes confusing, as seen in sentences like 'Although the visitors staying on island had highest numbers of visitors till 2015, it had fallen'. Paragraph breaks do not follow a clear thematic division, grouping unrelated transitions together. While the text is readable overall, the lack of sophisticated cohesive control and mechanical transitions places this criterion firmly in the mid-bands.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for describing simple data trends, featuring terms like 'steadily increased', 'fluctuated', and 'growing trend'. However, there are frequent lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'visitors who visiting', 'fluactuated', 'slide dropping' (instead of slight drop), and 'stronghest growth'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, with frequent reliance on basic words and phrases. Less common lexical items are attempted but often fail due to spelling or word-choice inaccuracies. While these lexical slips do not entirely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including dependent clauses ('Although the visitors staying on island had highest numbers...'). However, the text contains a high frequency of grammatical errors and structural flaws, such as missing subject-auxiliary elements ('visitors staying on cruise ships had fluactuated... Then, has steadily increased'), incorrect participle forms ('tourists who staying'), and tense inconsistencies. Punctuation and article usage are also unreliable throughout the response. Because grammatical errors are frequent and occasionally cause the reader some difficulty in parsing the intended meaning, the grammatical accuracy reflects a Band 5.0 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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