Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-24

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 graph illustrates the total number of visitors who visited a particular Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, the total number of tourists visiting a Caribbean island had grown rapidly over the period. At the beginning, most visitors stayed on the island, but at the end of the period, more tourists stayed on cruise ships than on the island.

In 2010, 1 million people visited the Caribbean island, of whom one-quarter of the visitors stayed on cruise ships, whereas the remaining visitors stayed on the island. By 2012, the total number of visitors had increased by 0.5 million, reaching 1.5 million. Approximately 1.25 million people stayed on the island, while 0.25 million stayed on cruise ships.

By 2015, the total number of visitors to the Caribbean island had risen from 1.5 million to nearly 2.75 million. Of these visitors, 1.5 million stayed on the island, and roughly 1.25 million stayed on cruise ships. By the end of the period, in 2017, the number of visitors had steadily increased to 3.5 million, with 2 million staying on cruise ships, and 1.5 million staying on the island.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively covers all parts of the task. You have identified the main trends and provided relevant data points to support your summary. The overview is clear and highlights the significant shift in visitor preferences between island stays and cruise ships. You have successfully selected key figures to illustrate the growth over the period. To reach a higher band, ensure that all comparisons are precise; for instance, when mentioning the 2012 increase, clarifying that this refers to the total visitor count is helpful. Overall, the information is well-selected and accurately reported, meeting the requirements for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the data chronologically. The progression of ideas is smooth, and you use cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'by', and 'of these' effectively to link information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed data analysis. The flow of the text is natural, and the relationship between the different categories of visitors is easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'grown rapidly', 'steadily increased', and 'remained on the island' are used accurately. While the vocabulary is functional and appropriate for an academic report, it could be further enhanced by incorporating more varied synonyms for 'increased' or 'stayed' to avoid repetition. The use of 'one-quarter' and 'roughly' shows a good ability to handle numerical data and approximations. There are no significant errors in word choice or spelling that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. You demonstrate good control over verb tenses, particularly the use of the past perfect ('had grown', 'had increased') to describe trends over time. Punctuation is generally accurate, aiding the readability of the report. While the grammar is mostly error-free, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. To achieve a higher score, you could experiment with more varied sentence beginnings or more sophisticated subordinating conjunctions to further demonstrate grammatical flexibility.

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