Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-17

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 given line graph shows how many tourists visiting to curise ships and to island between 2010 and 2017.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that the visitors stayed on island were the highest in the initial year as compare to the visitors staying on the cruise ships, whereas the opposite was true in the last years.

Looking at the bar graph in more detail, 0.7 million visitors stayed on island in 2010; and this trend experienced a slight increase of visitors from 0.5 to 1.5 million over the period of three years. Visitors were remain constant over the following years, although it witnessed a slight decline in 2016.

What is more, 0.3 million visitors stayed on cruise ships in the initial year and this figure witnessed a continuous increase over the period of next six months. It can be observed that cruise ships experienced an increase of visitors over the following years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad contrast between island-based visitors and cruise-ship visitors, and your overview correctly notes that island visitors were more numerous at the start while cruise visitors grew substantially. However, the account only partially reports the graph’s main features. The overview does not mention that the total rose from about 1 million to 3.5 million, nor that cruise-ship numbers overtook island visitors in 2016. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: island visitors rose from about 0.75 million to 1.5 million by 2013, rather than increasing “from 0.5 to 1.5,” and the cruise-ship figure increased over the next six years, not “six months.” Include the total trend and key turning points, with clearer, accurate comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overall statement, and separate paragraphs for the two visitor categories. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Looking at … in more detail,” and “What is more” help signal movement between points. However, the progression within the detail paragraphs is sometimes unclear. For example, “this trend experienced a slight increase of visitors from 0.5 to 1.5 million over the period of three years” does not clearly identify the starting and ending years or the subject of the change. The cruise-ship paragraph repeats the idea of an increase without giving a clear sequence. Organise each category chronologically and use precise references to connect figures and years.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “visitors,” “initial year,” “continuous increase,” “constant,” and “decline,” so the reader can understand the general subject and trends. However, the range and control are uneven, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “visiting to curise ships,” “bar graph” for a line graph, and “over the period of next six months” are not appropriate descriptions here. “Witnessed” is also repeated and sounds unnatural when applied to a figure or trend. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Build a reliable set of trend expressions and use them accurately—for example, describe figures as rising, remaining stable, or falling, and refer to “cruise-ship visitors” and “island visitors” consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a concession with “although.” The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. In the opening, “shows how many tourists visiting” needs a finite verb form, while “the visitors stayed on island were” has an incorrect clause structure and missing article. “Visitors were remain constant” combines incompatible verb forms, and “as compare to” is not correctly formed. Punctuation is also awkward in “in 2010; and this trend.” These errors affect clarity, especially in the longer trend descriptions. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and sentence patterns such as “the number of visitors staying on the island remained stable.”

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