Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-09

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 6.5)

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

Overall, the highest number of first time visitors recorded were around 12000 in the year 2008, whereas the highest number of returning visitors recorded were around 15000 in the year 2006. Both of them, the first time visitors and the returning visitors, had a significant increase in numbers since the year 2000.

The first time visitors were around 8000 in the year 2000. Meanwhile, the returning visitors were significantly lower which were almost 3000 in the year 2000. However, the returning visitors had a spiking increase by the year 2002, and they went to almost 10000. The first time visitors kept decreasing throughout 2000 and 2002, and by the end of 2002 they went to around 4000. However, they started increasing rapidly in the same year, and by the end of 2008 they reached around 12000.

On the other hand, the returning visitors increased by almost 15000 from 2002 to 2006. They started decreasing from the year 2006 to 2008, and by 2008 they were almost 13800.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You select the main trends and provide a clear overview: first-time visitors finish at their peak in 2008, while returning visitors peak in 2006, and both series end above their starting points. Most figures are close to the chart, including the initial values and the 2002 figures. However, the overview says both groups had a significant increase “since” 2000 without noting that first-time visitors fell sharply before recovering. The description of returning visitors from 2002 to 2006 is also inaccurate: they rose from about 10,000 to 15,200, rather than increasing by almost 15,000. Clarifying the contrasting paths and reporting changes as end values rather than increments would make the account more precise and fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the visitor groups. Time markers such as “by the year 2002” and “from the year 2006 to 2008” help readers follow the chronology. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, particularly through repeated use of “However” and “the year,” and the division between the two detail paragraphs is not fully balanced: the first paragraph discusses both groups, while the final one returns to returning visitors. Some references are also unclear, as in “they went to almost 10000.” Use more varied linking and clearer nouns such as “the figure” or “visitor numbers,” and organise the details consistently by series or time period.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for describing the graph, and terms such as “increase,” “decreasing,” and “reached” communicate the main movements. You also attempt more descriptive language, including “spiking increase” and “increased rapidly,” but some choices are imprecise or unnatural for formal data reporting. “Spiking increase” is not a natural collocation, while “increased by almost 15000” misrepresents the change and would be clearer as a rise from one figure to another. Repetition of “visitors,” “year,” and “around” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise trend language and vary expressions for approximate figures, while ensuring that verbs such as “rise by” and “rise to” are used accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “whereas” and “while,” and the meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain. In “the highest number … recorded were,” the singular subject “number” requires “was”; “the returning visitors were significantly lower which were almost 3000” has an unclear and faulty clause structure; and “kept decreasing throughout 2000 and 2002” uses an unsuitable preposition for the period described. The sentence beginning “Both of them” is also awkwardly constructed. These issues do not usually prevent understanding, but they reduce accuracy. Check subject–verb agreement, build comparisons with parallel structures, and use “between 2000 and 2002” for a change across a period.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.