Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the comparison between the tourists who stayed on the cruise ships or islands during their visit to a particular Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. Numbers of tourists were recorded in millions

Overall, it is visible from the graph that the tourists who stayed on cruise ships, kept on increasing steadily. Whereas the visitors who resided on island remained same for certain years. While the total number of tourist kept on increasing till 2017.

It is specific from the graph that, visitors on ship jumped from approximately 0.25 to 5 till 2011 and coming back to same number in 2012. But after 2012, the number kept extending up to 2 million by constantly growing 0.5 million every year till 2017.

On the other hand, in 2010 people who stayed on island were about 0.75 and remained same for the next year as well. They climbed up to 1.25 in the next year and then rose to 1.5 million for the net three years till 2015. After a sudden dip in 2016 the number again reached the same figure.

In conclusion, the total number of the tourists reached 3.5 million in total by 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the graph, including the trends for both cruise ship and island visitors. However, the data reporting is inconsistent and occasionally inaccurate. For example, stating that visitors on ships 'jumped from 0.25 to 5' is a significant misreading of the graph, as the scale does not reach 5 million. Furthermore, the summary of the total number of tourists is somewhat vague. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are read precisely from the axes and that the overview clearly highlights the most significant trends rather than just listing individual fluctuations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Whereas', and 'On the other hand' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of information is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the transition between the ship and island data. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using more varied linking phrases to create a smoother narrative rather than just listing data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision required for higher bands. There are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'kept on increasing steadily' and 'resided on island'. While the meaning is generally clear, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and lacks the sophisticated, academic tone expected in IELTS Task 1. To improve, focus on using more precise verbs and nouns related to data trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'plateaued', or 'a marginal increase'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Numbers of tourists were recorded in millions' (missing article), 'remained same' (missing article), and 'net three years' (spelling error for 'next'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The control over punctuation and articles needs improvement to ensure that the writing is more accurate and professional.

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

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