Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 depicts number of tourist commute to a particular Carribean island between 2010 to 2017 over the span of 7 years.

Overall, a significant rise is seen in total number of tourist. However, preference for accomodation was increased to stay at island rather than on cruise ship.

To be more precise, gradual growth was seen in number of tourist visited the Carribean island to almost 2.75 miliions in 2015 from initially stood at 1 millions. Henceforth it plateued for 2016 then skyrocketed sharly in the ultimate year to culimate at the peak 3.5 millions tourist over the 7 years period. In 2010, three forth visitors prefered cruise ship stay as compare to the other catagories whose choosed to stay at island. For the first catory it was prevails off at the same level till 2011 and then observed gradual increase to reach almost double number that of initially in 2013. Moving forward it remained platued for couple for years at 1.5 million mark before fluctuated in 2016 and registered 1.5 millions tourist who stayed at cruise ships. Whereas sudden rise is seen from 2012 to 2017 in the number of tourist favoured to stay at island. It started off quarter of a million and finished at 2 million in the 2017, where it superseed the former category in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall rise in total visitors, the plateau around 2015–16, and the final peak of 3.5 million, so the response covers the central trend. You also attempt to compare the two accommodation groups. However, several details are unclear or reversed: in 2010, about 0.75 million stayed on the island and 0.25 million on cruise ships, not the other way around. The later descriptions also confuse the series: cruise-ship visitors rose to 2 million by 2017, while island visitors fluctuated around 1.25–1.5 million. The overview’s claim that preference shifted towards island stays is therefore not supported. Make the overview more precise and check each series against the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a detailed paragraph, with a broadly chronological account. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Henceforth,” and “Moving forward” show an effort to guide the reader. However, the detailed paragraph is difficult to follow because it moves between the total and the two accommodation categories without consistently naming which series is being described. Phrases such as “For the first category” and “the former category” have unclear references, and some transitions imply relationships that are hard to track. Organise the details into clearly identified comparisons—for example, total visitors first, then cruise-ship and island stays—and use direct labels rather than vague references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “gradual growth,” “plateaued,” “peak,” and “fluctuated,” and you attempt a range of verbs to describe change. However, inaccurate word choice and collocation sometimes make the data difficult to interpret. “Tourist commute” does not describe the graph, while “preference for accommodation was increased” is unnatural and suggests a change in preference that the figures do not establish. Several spelling errors—such as “Carribean,” “miliions,” “catagories,” and “superseed”—also reduce precision. Aim for accurate, conventional chart language and check spelling carefully; terms such as “visitors,” “stayed,” “rose,” and “overtook” are clearer and more appropriate here.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “However,” “before,” and “where,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless affect clarity. For example, “depicts number of tourist commute” lacks an article and has an unsuitable verb form, while “from initially stood at 1 millions” is not a complete or correctly formed comparison. There are also problems with agreement and number, as in “number of tourist,” and with sentence construction in “whose choosed to stay.” Work on articles, singular/plural agreement, and consistent past-tense forms. Shorter, complete sentences would help you control the grammar while retaining some complex structures.

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