Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-07-28

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 7.5)

The graph illustrates the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017. The graph compares tourist staying on cruise ships, tourists staying on the island and the total number of visitors.

Overall, the total number of visitors increased significantly by 2017. A similar trend is observed for tourists staying on cruise ships. However, the number of visitors staying on the island shows a rise after a slight decrease in 2016.

Furthermore, the number of tourists visiting the island has increased steadily from 1 million in 2010 to 3.5 million in 2017. As the number of visitors grew, the number of people choosing to stay on cruise ships has increased from nearly 0.25 million in 2010 to 2 million by 2017 after a slight decrease to 0.25 million in 2012.

Regarding the visitor staying on the island, a slight fluctuation is observed in the number of visitors staying on the island. The figure was initially 0.75 million that rose to 1.5 million in 2013. These numbers remained stagnant in 2017 after a minor drop in 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.5
Lexical Resource7.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy7.0
Overall7.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively covers the main features of the graph, including the total visitor numbers and the two sub-categories. You have successfully identified the overall trends and provided specific data points to support your descriptions. The overview is clear and highlights the significant growth observed over the period. To reach a higher band, ensure that all comparisons are precise; for instance, when discussing the 'stagnant' numbers in 2017, it would be beneficial to explicitly compare the island-staying figures with the cruise ship figures to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the relationship between the two categories.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that group information by category. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', and 'Regarding' helps guide the reader through the data. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother. For example, the phrase 'Regarding the visitor staying on the island' is a bit repetitive given the previous sentence. Improving the variety of linking phrases and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus will enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuation', 'stagnant', and 'significantly' appropriately. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'visitor staying' (should be plural 'visitors') and 'tourist staying' (should be 'tourists staying'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations related to data description, such as 'upward trajectory' or 'plateaued'. The current vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but expanding your repertoire of descriptive verbs and nouns will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'tourist staying' instead of 'tourists staying' and 'the visitor staying' instead of 'visitors staying'. Additionally, there is a minor error in 'the number of visitors... has increased... after a slight decrease to 0.25 million in 2012' where the tense usage could be more consistent. Most of your sentences are error-free, but increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement will strengthen your performance.

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