Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-07-31

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 7.0)

The line graph illustrates the number of tourists visiting a specific island in the Caribbean from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, the number of visitors increased sharply, whether visitors were on cruise ships or staying on the island. Specifically, tourists preferred to stay on ships more than staying on an island.

Millions of tourists visited a Caribbean island in 7 years. In 2010, visitors preferred to stay on an island rather than on cruise ships. Approximately 0.75 million visitors liked to stay on an island and for the next three years this figure reached 1.5 million and was stable for a couple of years. After that, there was a decline for a year but in 2017 it remained stable at 1.5 million visitors.

In 2010, around 0.25 million visitors stayed on cruise ships, and this figure fluctuated for over 3 years at 0.5 million people. Then, the graph rose from 2013 to 2017 and nearly 2 million people preferred to stay on cruise ships. In total, 2.5 million visitors increased over that time from 1 million to 3.5 million. To be more precise, the total visitors increased from 2010 to

2015 and remained stable for a year and then rose sharply from 2016 to 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers the main features of the graph, including the trends for both visitor types and the total. You have successfully identified the key turning points and provided data to support your descriptions. However, there is a slight inaccuracy in the interpretation of the data; for instance, you state that cruise ship visitors reached 2 million, whereas the graph shows them peaking at approximately 1.5 million. Additionally, the overview is a bit simplistic. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data points are precisely read from the graph and that your overview highlights the most significant trends, such as the shift in preference from island stays to cruise ships over the period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the two categories of visitors. The progression of ideas is clear, and you use basic cohesive devices such as 'Specifically', 'In 2010', and 'After that' to link sentences. However, the flow between some sentences feels a bit mechanical, and the use of cohesive devices could be more varied to improve the sophistication of the text. Paragraphing is used appropriately, which helps the reader follow the development of your analysis.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', and 'rose sharply'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'liked to stay', which is slightly informal for an academic report; 'preferred to stay' or 'opted for' would be more suitable. You also repeat the phrase 'stay on an island' and 'stay on cruise ships' frequently. To improve, try to use synonyms or paraphrasing to avoid repetition and incorporate more precise academic collocations related to data description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'in 7 years' (which should be 'over a 7-year period') and '2.5 million visitors increased' (which is slightly awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally accurate, and your errors do not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures, such as using relative clauses or participial phrases to combine information more fluidly.

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