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 line graph illustrates the amount of visitors visiting a specific Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall,the total guests visit the caribbean island has increased over the years whereas visitors staying in the island flactuated.However the number of visitors staying on cruise ships gradually increases.

Looking at the graph,the highest numbers of the guest staying both on cruise and island has rose significantly from 1 to 3.5 millions in between 2010 to 2017 although it was stable in between 2015 to 2016 however showed drastic rise in 2017.On the other hand,the amount of guest staying on island shows slow growth as it flactuated in between 2015 to 2017 after that standing constant at about 1.2 million.It shows almost stable trend over the years.

Turning to visitors stayed on cruse ships were flactuated at first in 2010 to 2013 at about half million although it has increased gradually and standing at 2 millions in the year of 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the overall rise in total visitors and distinguish the trends for island-based and cruise-ship visitors, which addresses the main parts of the task. You also report the total increasing from about 1 million to 3.5 million and cruise-ship visitors reaching 2 million. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the island figure did not remain constant at about 1.2 million after 2015; it fell from 1.5 million to 1.25 million in 2016, then rose to 1.5 million in 2017. The phrase “highest numbers ... has rose” also confuses the separate series with the total. A clearer overview and more precise comparisons, especially of the island trend, would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and further details about the total, island visitors, and cruise-ship visitors. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement. You also use signposts such as “Overall,” “Looking at the graph,” and “On the other hand.” However, progression is sometimes weakened by unclear references and awkward links. For example, “the highest numbers of the guest staying both on cruise and island” makes it difficult to tell which series is being described, while “after that” does not clearly connect to the preceding dates. Some transitions feel mechanical rather than guiding the comparison. Organise the body around the two visitor categories and the total, and use clearer references to each series.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a graph, including “increased,” “fluctuated,” “stable,” and “gradually,” so the main trends are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Amount of visitors” and “amount of guest” are less suitable for countable people; “number of visitors” is more natural. “Highest numbers ... has rose” is also an imprecise way to describe the total, and “drastic rise” overstates the final increase. Spelling errors such as “flactuated” and “cruse” are noticeable. Aim for accurate, varied trend language and check spelling, while choosing expressions that match the scale of the change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a clause beginning “although.” The main message can usually be followed, but some errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries reduce accuracy. For example, “has rose” should be “rose” or “has risen,” and “the total guests visit ... has increased” has faulty agreement and structure. In “visitors staying on cruise ships gradually increases,” the subject and verb do not agree. Several sentences also run together without spaces after full stops, and the final sentence fragment beginning “Turning to visitors...” needs a complete main clause. Use shorter, complete sentences first, then add complex clauses with carefully checked verb forms.

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