Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-09

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 illustrates the number of foreign people visiting Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, the number of visitors in Caribbean island was staying on the ship and island, while cruise ship experienced an increase over the period, the people who staying in the island facing fluctuation over the time. However, it can be saw that the total number of people live in that island significantly increased.

In 2010, approximately 0.25 millions of visitors was staying in the cruise ship, while that number rose in following year at 0.5 million, however it fell down in 2012 around 0.5 million. After that time period the number of foreign visitors staying on the ships dramatically increased over the time period and peak at 1.5 million. Moreover, staying on the island remained same first two years (2010,2011) around 0.75 million furthermore, there was a steady increase from 2011 to 2012 at 1.5 million of visitors staying on island. In 2013,2014, and 2015 it remained same, while there was a decline in 2016 and again it rose up in 2017

Viewing the chat in more detail there was a total number of visitors who living in here, at first there was a million of visitors in total at the starting year, moreover it increased steadily around two and a half million in 2014. In the year 2016 it dramatically rose to 3.5 million in total visitors in Caribbean island

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two visitor categories and the overall rise in total numbers, and you include several relevant figures. However, some key details are inaccurate or incomplete: cruise-ship visitors fell to about 0.25 million in 2012, not 0.5 million, and reached 2 million in 2017, rather than peaking at 1.5 million. The island-stayer figure rose to about 1.25 million in 2012, not 1.5 million, and the total reached 3.5 million in 2017, not 2016. The overview also describes the island figures as fluctuating without clearly summarising their broadly stable pattern after 2013. More accurate reporting of the final-year values and a clearer overview would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by paragraphs describing the visitor categories and total figures. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, progression is weakened by long, crowded sentences and connectors that do not always show the relationship between ideas clearly. For example, the sentence beginning “In 2010” joins several changes with “while,” “however,” and “After that time period,” making the sequence difficult to follow. The final paragraph also starts with “Viewing the chat in more detail,” which does not clearly signal a shift to total visitors. Use shorter sentences, group related years together, and choose linking words that accurately express contrast or sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “increased,” “decline,” “remained same,” and “total number,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. Phrases such as “foreign people,” “people live in that island,” and “dramatically increased over the time period” are not natural ways to describe the chart. “Peak” is also used for a value that is not the actual maximum. Aim for precise reporting language and vary expressions for rises, falls, and stability. For example, “visitors staying on the island” and “the figure climbed” would be clearer and more appropriate than the phrases used here.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, but complex sentences are often difficult to control, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. Examples include “the number of visitors … was staying,” “it can be saw,” and “the people who staying,” where verb forms are incorrect. Agreement and number are also problematic in “0.25 millions … was staying,” while missing articles and awkward sentence construction appear in “visiting Caribbean island.” Several sentences run together, particularly the description of cruise-ship visitors, and punctuation around year lists is inconsistent. Practise accurate past-tense reporting, subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. Building clear short sentences first will help you add complex structures more reliably.

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