Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-21

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 6.0)

The graph illustrate a trend of tourists visiting a Caribbean island between 2010 AND 2017, around 3.5 million people visited in total in 2017 compared to only 1 million in 2010, this is around 250% hike in the tourism for total.

Total number of tourist are divided into Visitors staying on island and visitors staying on the cruise ship, in 2010 most tourists were visitors staying on the island and less number of tourists were visitors staying on the cruise ships, 0.75 million and 0.25 million respectively, the trend kept growing and majority tourists were visitors staying on the island, but in mid of 2015 and 2016 the line fell bellow and the visitors staying on the cruise ships were majority of the tourist to the Caribbean islands.

Total number of tourist to the Caribbean islands in 2017 were around 3.5 million of which 2 million tourist represent visitors staying on the cruise ships and 1.5 million visitors staying on the island.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided data to support your points. You correctly highlighted the overall growth and the crossover point between the two categories. However, the response lacks a clear overview paragraph, which is essential for a high band score in Task 1. While you mention the 2017 figures, the summary of the overall trend could be more distinct from the body paragraphs. Additionally, ensure that all data points are accurate; for instance, ensure the distinction between 'cruise ship' and 'island' visitors is consistently clear throughout the report to avoid confusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. You rely heavily on commas to join independent clauses, which creates 'run-on' sentences that hinder the flow of ideas. Using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'in contrast', 'subsequently') would improve the logical progression. The referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the general trend and the specific data points could be smoother to create a more cohesive narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. You use basic terms like 'hike', 'majority', and 'trend kept growing'. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations such as 'significant increase', 'surpassed', or 'fluctuated'. There are also some minor word-choice issues, such as 'fell bellow' (should be 'fell below') and 'in mid of 2015' (should be 'between 2015 and 2016'). Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and adverbs will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. The most notable issue is the use of comma splices, where independent clauses are joined only by a comma (e.g., '...in 2010, this is around...'). Subject-verb agreement is also inconsistent, such as 'The graph illustrate' (should be 'illustrates') and 'Total number of tourist are' (should be 'is'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on sentence boundaries and subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your accuracy.

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.