Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-21

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The line graph shows the number of first time visitors and returning visitors who visited Caryl Island from 2000 to 2008.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The line graph shows the number of first time visitors and returning visitors who visited Caryl Island from 2000 to 2008.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The line graph depicts the inflow and outflow of tourists who visited Cary Island for the first time from 2000 to 2008. The blue line indicates first-time visitors, while the red line represents returning visitors.

Overall, in the year 2000, the number of people who visited Caryl Island for the first time was 8000, which was comparatively greater than the number of returning visitors of about 3000 people. Furthermore, as the years passed down, people who returned back from the island kept on increasing to a large extent up until 2006, standing at 15000 people, and then experienced a slight downfall by 2008 to just under 14000 visitors. Moreover, first-time visitors saw its least turnover in the year 2002, which was 4000 people, and it kept on increasing at a steady rate in the years [redacted phone] and reached just 12000 people visiting in the end.

Cary Island started with a decent amount of first-time visitors, and it kept on increasing steadily after experiencing a drop in numbers in 2002. In addition, the returning visitors were less initially but kept on increasing marginally, reaching their highest number in 2006, and then resulted in a slight downfall towards the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting data for both first-time and returning visitors to Caryl Island between 2000 and 2008. Key features and comparisons are included, such as noting that returning visitors eventually overtook first-time visitors and peaked in 2006 at around 15,000 before declining. However, the placement of the overview is problematic; the overview details specific data points (e.g., '8000' and '3000') rather than giving a broad summary of trends. A proper overview should highlight overall trajectories (such as the upward trend in overall tourism and the reversal of popularity between the two categories). Because the overview is essentially integrated with detailed data, the response falls short of a fully developed task response at Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into three paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by a detailed body paragraph, and ending with a final paragraph that essentially repeats information already stated in the body. While logical organization is attempted, the overall progression is disrupted by the redundant final paragraph. Cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', 'In addition'), but they sometimes feel mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though the division of ideas between the second and third paragraphs lacks a clear, cohesive strategy, as the final paragraph retraces the same trends previously mentioned without adding new information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'inflow', 'downfall', 'fluctuate' (implied), and 'steadily'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies. For instance, the phrase 'passed down' is unnatural in this context, and 'least turnover' is an incorrect collocation for visitor numbers. Additionally, the student misnames the location as 'Cary Island' in the third paragraph, whereas it is 'Caryl Island'. These lexical errors and awkward phrasings limit the score to Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('who visited Caryl Island for the first time') and subordinate clauses ('as the years passed down'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward constructions, including 'people who returned back' (redundancy) and 'saw its least turnover' (singular/plural mismatch and awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they rarely impede overall communication, allowing the response to comfortably secure a Band 6.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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