Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-16

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 displays the amount of visitors travelled a specific Carribean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, there was an increase in the total number of people who stayed on the island over the period. While, in the initial days, people who stayed on cruise ships were low but in the end, overtook the number of people who stayed on island, making it the second popular.

In regards to total number of people, it showed a upward trend. In 2010, the number was 1 million. There was a slight increase to around 1.3 million, in 2011. From 2012 to 2015, there was a gradual increase in the number ranging between 1.3 million to 2.7 million. The number remained constant (2.7 million) in 2016 before rising to 3.5 million in 2017, making it the peak point.

On the other hand, people who stayed on cruin ships observed an fluctuating trends. From 2010 to 2013, the numbers oscillated between half million to 0.5 million. From 2013, there was a significant rose to number reaching upto 2 million in the end.

However, in the beginning visitor who stayed on island were much bigger in number than people who stayed on cruise ships. In 2010, the figure was around 0.6 million plataued the same for the following year. There was a moderate increase about 1.7 million in 2015. After that it unsdutook the number of cruise ship making it least popular.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall rise in total visitors and note that cruise-ship visitors eventually outnumbered those staying on the island, which are important features. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: island visitors reached about 1.5 million, not 1.7 million, in 2015, and they did not become the least popular category; they remained below cruise-ship visitors at the end. The overview also says the island-staying total increased, although the graph’s total line combines both categories. The cruise-ship account gives an unclear early range and does not describe the fluctuations precisely. To strengthen the report, distinguish the total from each accommodation group and select a few accurate comparisons across the period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by paragraphs on the total and the two visitor groups. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the cruise-ship paragraph, where “From 2010 to 2013” is followed by an unclear description of the figures. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “However” are used, but the relationships they signal are not always appropriate or clear. The final paragraph also ends with a confusing comparison. Organise the details in a consistent chronological order and use clear references to each series so that comparisons are easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “upward trend,” “gradual increase,” “remained constant,” and “peak point.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make parts of the report difficult to interpret. Examples include “amount of visitors,” “cruin ships,” “significant rose,” and “undertook the number.” “Fluctuating trends” is also not a natural description of the cruise-ship figures as presented. Aim for accurate, conventional language for describing charts, and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise terms such as “visitor numbers,” “rose sharply,” and “overtook” would make the comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “While” and “before,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in sentence structure, articles, agreement, and verb forms. For example, “While, in the initial days…” is an incomplete clause, “it showed a upward trend” has an article error, and “the numbers oscillated” is followed by an unclear construction. The sentence beginning “In 2010, the figure was around 0.6 million” also lacks a clear grammatical link to “plataued.” These problems sometimes make the intended meaning hard to follow. Practise complete sentence structures and check articles and verb forms, especially when combining comparisons and time clauses.

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