Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-13

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 6.5)

The line graph illustrates the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.

Overall, it can be seen that the total number of the visitors staying on island and cruise ships increased throughout the period. In contrast, the visitors staying on island was the most dominating group till 2015, which became the least common by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, the group of visitors staying on cruise ships experienced the highest growth over the period after 2012 and became the most common group after 2015.

The group of visitors staying on island was around 0.75 million in 2010 and remained stable in 2011, which increased to 1.25 million in 2012, 1.5 million in 2013, and remained unchanged till 2015. This figure then declined marginally, accounted for 1.25 million before recovering to 1.5 million in 2017. The group of visitors staying on cruise ships, on the other hand, accounted for 0.25 million in 2010, which increased to 0.5 million in 2011. This figure again declined to 0.25 million in 2012 before rising again to 0.5 million in 2013. This number consistently increased thereafter and reached 2 million in 2017.

Nevertheless, the total of both types of visitors together reported 1 million in 2010. This figure increased steadily to 1.25 million in 2011, 1.5 million in 2012, and reached 2 million in 2013. This number climbed to 2.75 million in 2015 and remained unchanged in 2016. This then increased to a peak of 3.5 million by 2017, showing an upward trend

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You accurately highlighted the shift in popularity between island-staying and cruise-ship tourists. The inclusion of specific data points to support your descriptions is excellent. However, the final paragraph, which focuses on the 'total' of both groups, is slightly redundant as it is not explicitly requested by the prompt and detracts from the focus on comparing the two categories. To reach a higher band, ensure that your summary focuses strictly on the key features of the categories provided in the graph rather than calculating additional totals that were not requested.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'on the other hand' effectively to signal shifts in the narrative. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed data analysis. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the information is easy to follow. To improve, ensure that the transition between the detailed analysis of the two groups and the final paragraph is more seamless, as the current structure feels slightly disjointed when moving to the total figures.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using terms like 'dominating group', 'remained stable', 'declined marginally', and 'upward trend' appropriately. The language is generally precise and fits the context of a data report. There are a few minor issues with collocation, such as 'total number of the visitors staying on island', which should be 'visitors staying on the island'. Additionally, 'most dominating' is slightly redundant; 'dominant' would suffice. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'increased' and 'decreased' would further enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures with generally good control. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free. However, there are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'accounted for 1.25 million' (which should be 'which accounted for' or 'accounting for') and 'total number of the visitors staying on island' (missing article). These errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. To move to a higher band, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures, such as passive voice or participle clauses, to demonstrate greater grammatical flexibility.

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

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