Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-04
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 5.0)
The graph depicts the number of tourists that visit a specific Caribbean island in a timeline from 2010 to 2017.
Visitors who prefered to stay on cruise ship intended to be low in 2010 which gradually increased to 0.5 million in 2011. In 2012, it was reported that there was a gradual decrease in the number of visitors. After 2013 there was a steady growth from 0.5 million which eventually increased to 2 million in 2017. A rapid increase was observed from 2013 to 2017 for visitors prefering for cruise ship stays.
In 2010 the visitors that prefered to stay on island was 1 million. Over the years the number of visitors increased. From 2012 to 2014 a rapid increase of 0.5 million each year was observed which eventually let to a rise in the number of visitors who preferred a stay on island. 2015 and 2016 had a stable number after which a rapid rise in the number from 2.7 million to 3.5 million was observed.
Therefore, visitors preferring to stay on cruise ship and island has there equal rise in numbers but visitors more prefer to stay on island compared to cruise ships.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response responds to the task only minimally and fails to provide a proper overview of the trends shown in the graph. The data points reported contain significant inaccuracies, such as stating the starting figure for visitors staying on the island was 1 million when the graph shows it was 0.75 million, and confusing the data for the categories in the conclusion where total figures are misread as individual series. Furthermore, the selection of features is limited, and the overall summary is highly confused and inaccurate, placing the response firmly at the lower level of achievement where the prompt is only partially addressed with major factual errors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is some basic organization with separate paragraphs for introduction, body details, and a conclusion, which establishes a rudimentary overall arrangement. However, logical progression is frequently hindered by mechanical and faulty referencing, such as vague pronoun use like 'it' referring back ambiguously to groups of visitors. Cohesive devices are used in a repetitive manner, and the transition between ideas feels abrupt. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within sentences often breaks down, preventing a smooth flow of information throughout the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, though it is minimally adequate for conveying basic ideas about increases and decreases. There are noticeable errors in word choice and form, such as 'prefered' (spelling), 'prefering', and 'let to a rise' (lexical collocation error for 'led to'). Attempts to use less common vocabulary result in awkward phrasing that occasionally impedes smooth reading. While the reader can generally decipher the intended meaning, the restricted range and persistent slips keep the lexical score at a modest level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response relies heavily on a limited range of simple sentence structures alongside faulty attempts at complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb tense consistency and agreement, such as 'visitors preferring... has there equal rise' and missing plural markers where needed. Punctuation is basic, and awkward syntactic patterns occur throughout, requiring the reader to slow down. These persistent errors in grammar and structure reflect a control that occasionally causes difficulty for the reader.
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.