Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-03

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 exhibits the figures of tourists visiting a Caribbean island cross 2010 to 2017. Visitors data category shown is split into three: staying on cruise ships, staying on island, and the total of the preceding two categories.

Generally, the amount of total visitors increased over time. Total visitors started at 1 million in 2010 and experienced a steady increase up to 2014 before slowing down and plateauing in 2016 at 2.57 million. However, the following year, the figure skyrocketed to 3.5 million in total.

For the number of visitors staying in cruise ships, significant growth is only seen from 2010 to 2013, rising the figure from 0.75 million to 1.5 millions. The number then staid constant throughout the years, except the small dip to 1.25 million in 2016.

Visitors that staid on the island, experienced a slight increase to 0.5 million in 2011 that then dipped back to 0.25 million in 2012. Then, the chart exhibited steady growth from 2012 to 2017, rising the figure from 0.25 million to 2 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the graph, including the three categories and the overall trends. You successfully identified the main starting and ending points and noted the significant changes, such as the surge in total visitors in 2017. However, the analysis could be improved by making more direct comparisons between the categories. For instance, noting that island-staying visitors overtook cruise ship visitors by the end of the period would have provided a more insightful summary. The data is generally accurate, though the description of the cruise ship trend as 'constant' is slightly inaccurate given the fluctuations mentioned.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on specific trends. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the total figures from the individual categories. Cohesive devices such as 'Generally', 'However', and 'The number then' are used to guide the reader through the data. While the progression is clear, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly disjointed due to the repetitive structure of the reporting.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'skyrocketed', 'plateauing', and 'steady growth'. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'staid' (should be 'stayed') and 'rising the figure' (should be 'increasing the figure'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied reporting verbs and avoid repeating the same sentence structures when describing numerical changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'Visitors data category shown is split' lacks an article, and 'staid' is a misspelling of 'stayed'. Additionally, 'rising the figure' is an incorrect use of the transitive verb 'rise'; 'increasing' or 'raising' would be more appropriate. Despite these errors, the majority of sentences are understandable, and the punctuation is generally correct. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures would help improve this score.

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