Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-14

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 line graph illustrates the number of visitors who visited the caribbean island between 2010 and 2017, divided into those who stayed on cruise ships and those who stayed in island.

Overall, the total number of tourists increased over the period of time. Although, at the start the visitors staying on island has the larger number.However the number of tourists staying on cruise ships grew rapidly and became the largest group at the end.

In 2010, the island recieved 1 million visitors, of whome

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the overall rise in tourist numbers and the key change from island-based visitors being the larger group initially to cruise-ship visitors becoming the larger group by 2017. However, the response is only a partial account: it stops mid-sentence after “of whom,” so it gives almost no supporting figures or detail about how the two categories changed. The overview is also brief, and the claim that cruise-ship visitors “grew rapidly” would be stronger with a comparison of their starting and ending totals. The response contains 84 words, below the required 150. To improve, complete the report and include selected figures and the main fluctuations, such as the island-staying total remaining broadly stable after 2013 while cruise-ship numbers continued to rise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, an overview, and the beginning of a detail paragraph. The overview also contrasts the initial and final positions of the two visitor groups, giving the reader a basic direction. However, the report ends abruptly at “of whom,” so the progression is incomplete and the final paragraph cannot develop its point. Linking is also awkward in “Although, at the start…” followed immediately by “However”; these connectors overlap, and the punctuation makes the transition difficult to follow. Organise the response into complete paragraphs, use one clear contrast marker at a time, and ensure each paragraph develops a distinct part of the graph. This would make the existing structure more coherent and purposeful.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “line graph,” “visitors,” “total number,” and “cruise ships,” and the distinction between the two accommodation groups is generally understandable. There is some repetition of “visitors” and “number,” while phrases such as “visitors who visited” are redundant and “stayed in island” is not a natural collocation. Spelling errors in “caribbean” and “recieved” also reduce accuracy. The limited amount of writing restricts the range of vocabulary demonstrated. Aim for concise, precise reporting language, such as “tourists,” “the figure for,” and “visitors staying on the island,” and check spelling and collocations carefully. More varied but accurate terms would help describe the trends without repeating the same nouns.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “Although” and a relative clause in “visitors who visited.” The main message is still understandable, but errors in agreement and sentence construction are evident: “the visitors staying on island has” should use a plural verb, and “Although” is incorrectly punctuated as a standalone transition before the next sentence. There is also a missing space after the full stop in “number.However,” and the final sentence is incomplete, ending with “of whom.” These issues, together with the short sample, limit evidence of controlled range. Practise complete sentences with accurate subject–verb agreement, and use contrast clauses within a properly formed sentence rather than as fragments.

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