Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-07

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 reveals the number of tourists who visited particular caribbean island a seven year from 2010 to 2017

overall , the total number of tourists experienced a steady upword trend in the given period while the most of the visitors perferred staying on the island rather than cruise ships

In 2010 the cumulative total of visitors stood at 1.0 million this figure climded over the next five years reaching 2.7 million in 2015 . it increase to a peak of 3.5 million in 2017. the island number started at 0.75 million in 2013 this figure remained stable at 1.5 million and minor dip to 1.25 million in 2016

in contrast , the number of holidaymarkers on cruise ships began at much lower point 0.25 in 2010 after fluctuating slightly by 2012 cruise ships tourism surge in 2016 cruise ships tourism island stay for first time resching at 1.75 and steep to hit on 2.0million in 2017

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the overall rise in total visitors and note that island-based visitors generally outnumbered cruise passengers, which gives the report a relevant overview. Several key figures are also reported accurately, including the total reaching 3.5 million in 2017 and island stays dipping to 1.25 million in 2016. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: island visitors began at 0.75 million in 2010, not 2013, and cruise-ship visitors first exceeded island visitors in 2017, not 2016. The account of the cruise-ship trend is also difficult to follow, and the island figures’ rise to 1.5 million by 2013 and subsequent stability could be explained more clearly. More precise comparisons would make the main features fuller and more reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing totals and the two visitor categories. This gives the reader a broad progression through the graph, and phrases such as “In contrast” signal a comparison. However, the final paragraph becomes difficult to follow because several ideas are compressed into one sentence, particularly “cruise ships tourism island stay for first time…” The links between figures and trends are therefore not always clear. Some punctuation and spacing also interrupt the flow, while the overview’s placement and the paragraphing could be used more effectively to group the island and cruise-ship trends. Use shorter, clearly connected sentences and explicit comparisons to make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “cumulative total,” “steady upward trend,” “remained stable,” and “fluctuating,” which helps describe changes rather than merely list figures. There is also an attempt to vary wording for visitors. However, spelling errors such as “perferred,” “climbed” written as “climded,” and “reaching” written as “resching” are noticeable. Some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, including “cruise ships tourism surge” and “holidaymarkers,” and “the island number” is imprecise. These choices sometimes make the intended trend hard to understand. Aim for accurate collocations such as “the number of cruise-ship visitors rose,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a contrast between visitor groups and a sentence describing change over time. However, grammatical control is uneven, and errors sometimes make relationships between figures unclear. For example, “who visited particular caribbean island a seven year” has problems with articles and the time expression, while “The island number started at 0.75 million in 2013 this figure remained stable” joins clauses without suitable punctuation or a conjunction. Tense and sentence construction also break down in the final paragraph. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use full stops or conjunctions to separate related points. Accurate articles and plural forms would also improve clarity.

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