Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-06

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 illustrates amount of tourists visiting an island in Caribbean between 2010 and 2017. We can see a growing trend in the number of visitors given in millions going to the island and staying on both cruise ships and island.

We can see gradual increase of visitors staying on the cruise ships between 2010 and 2013. On 2010, the number was approximately 7.5 lacs and it reached it peak on 2013. The number plateued until 2015 and it had dipped to below 1.5 million on 2016. On 2017, the number again reached the previous peak of 1.5 million. Around 2.5 lacs visitors stayed on the island on 2010. The number reached to 0.5 million on next year. However it dropped again to approximately 2.5 lacs on 2012. Then more visitors started stayed on island year after year. We can see a steady growth in the number of visitiors staying on the island between 2012 and 2017. It surpassed the number of visitors staying on cruise ships on 2016 and reached maximum of 2 millions on 2017. Overall, the total number of visitors increased in all years

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially because there are significant inaccuracies in reporting the data from the graph. For instance, the student states that visitor numbers reached 7.5 lacs in 2010 and mentions figures like 2.5 lacs, which demonstrates a misinterpretation of the scale and units provided in the chart (millions). Furthermore, the trends described for the two separate categories—visitors staying on cruise ships versus those staying on the island—contain numerous factual errors when compared against the visual data. While an overview is attempted at the beginning and the end, the limited and inaccurate reporting of key features prevents the response from fully satisfying the requirements of this criterion. To improve, you must carefully read the axes and data points to ensure that figures and trends are reported accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation in the response, but it lacks a clear overall progression. The writing is divided into brief paragraphs, but the movement between ideas feels disjointed because cohesive devices are frequently inadequate, repetitive, or inaccurate. Phrases like 'We can see' are overused to introduce points, and transitions between sentences do not always establish a clear logical relationship. For example, moving abruptly between the cruise ship data and island data without effective signposting makes the text difficult to follow smoothly. To achieve a higher band, you should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more accurately and ensure that paragraphs have a clear topical focus with logical links between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary and topic-related terms such as 'growing trend', 'plateued', and 'surpassed', but these are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, spelling ('plateued' instead of 'plateaued', 'visitiors'), and inappropriate phrasing like 'amount of tourists' instead of 'number of tourists'. Additionally, translating figures into 'lacs' is inappropriate for standard academic English. These lexical inaccuracies occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, focus on using precise vocabulary for data trends, such as 'proportion' or 'figure', and check your spelling and word forms carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple statements or repetitive introductory patterns. Attempts at more complex sentences are often faulty or awkward, such as missing articles ('visiting an island in Caribbean'). There are frequent errors in prepositions (e.g., 'on 2010' instead of 'in 2010', 'on island' instead of 'on the island') and verb tenses and forms (e.g., 'started stayed'). These frequent grammatical errors can cause some difficulty for the reader and reveal a lack of control over basic structures. To improve, you need to practise accurate use of prepositions with dates, ensure articles are included where necessary, and diversify your sentence structures with error-free complex forms.

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