Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-28

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 graph illustrates the number of tourists, measured in millions, who visited a Carribean island between 2010 and 2017, with figures divided into visitors staying on cruise ships and those staying on the island.

Overall, the total number of tourists increased substantially over the period, more than tripling from 1 million to approximately 3.6 million. while the number of visitors staying on the island initially exceeded those staying on the

cruise ships, the latter group experienced much faster growth and became the larger category by 2016.

In 2010, exactly 1 million tourists visited the island. Of these, around 0.75

stayed on the island, compared with only 0.25 million who stayed on the cruise ships. The total rose gradually to about 1.5 million in 2012, before increasing more sharply to approximately 2.1 million in 2013 and 2.6 million in 2014. During this period, the number of Island based visitors climbed to around 1.6 million, while cruise-ship visitors reached roughly 1.1 million.

From,2014 onwards the total continued to rise, reaching 2.8 million in 2015 and remaining almost unchanged in 2016, before surging to approximately 3.6 million in 2017. the number staying on the island remained relatively stable at around 1.6 million between 2014 and 2015, then fell slightly to 1.4 million in 2016 before recovering to 1.7 million 2017. By contrast, ship tourism rose steadily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You accurately highlighted the overall growth and the shift in popularity between the two categories of visitors. The data is well-selected, and comparisons are made effectively, such as noting the crossover point where cruise ship visitors overtook island-based visitors. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are transcribed with complete accuracy; for instance, in the third paragraph, you mention '0.75' without specifying the unit (millions), which is a minor oversight. Overall, the response is well-structured and covers all requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use paragraphing effectively to separate the overview from the detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'while', and 'before' are used to link ideas smoothly. However, there are some minor mechanical issues, such as the capitalization error at the start of the second sentence in the final paragraph ('the number...') and a missing space after a comma in 'From,2014'. Improving the precision of these transitions and ensuring consistent punctuation would enhance the flow further.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision. Phrases like 'surging to', 'remained relatively stable', and 'exceeded' are used appropriately in the context of describing trends. There is a minor spelling error ('Carribean' should be 'Caribbean'). While the vocabulary is adequate and functional, incorporating a few more sophisticated collocations or topic-specific synonyms would help elevate the lexical profile. Overall, the language used is natural and allows for clear communication of the data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You show a good command of complex sentence structures, such as the use of subordinate clauses beginning with 'while' and 'before'. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and your control over tense usage is consistent with the requirements of describing past data. There are a few minor punctuation and capitalization slips, such as the missing space after the comma in 'From,2014' and the lowercase 't' in 'the number' at the start of a sentence. These are non-systematic errors that do not impede communication, but they prevent a higher score.

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