Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-04

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 visited the Caribbean island between 2010 to 2017.

Overall, there is a huge increment in the number of visitors in 2017, compared to 2010. It also shows that people chose to stay on cruise ships also increased substantially.

In 2010, I million tourists visited the island and most of them stayed on island, only a mimimal number chose to stay on cruise ships. This trend continued until the mid 2015, where the number of visitors increased to more than 2.5 million. In this period, the tourists who chose to stay on cruise ships increased to nearly 1.5 million and almost the same number of tourists stayed on island too.

In 2016, there is clear trend showing that people prefer to spent time on cruise ships rather than staying on island. In this year the total number of tourists even reached close to 3 million. In 2017, the number of visitors have increased rapidly and reached 3.5 million and in which 2 million people chose the cruise ships for their stay. While only 1.5 people selected to stay on island during their visit in this year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the graph, including the overall upward trend and the shift in preference toward cruise ships. You successfully identified key data points, such as the 2010 starting point and the 2017 peak. However, the report could be improved by providing a more precise overview of the data. For instance, stating 'huge increment' is slightly vague; using more specific comparative language would strengthen the analysis. Additionally, ensure all data points are accurate; you mentioned '1.5 people' in the final paragraph, which is a clear error in scale. Overall, the response addresses the requirements well, but requires more precision in data reporting to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving chronologically from 2010 to 2017. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In 2010', 'In this period', and 'While', to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother. For example, the transition between the overview and the first body paragraph is abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the flow and coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'substantially', and 'trend'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'huge increment' is not the most natural collocation for describing a graph; 'significant increase' would be better. You also use 'stay on island', which is grammatically awkward; 'stay on the island' or 'stay in island-based accommodation' would be more precise. There are also minor errors, such as 'I million' (likely a typo for 1 million) and '1.5 people', which slightly detract from the professional tone required for an Academic Task 1 response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For instance, 'number of tourists visited' should be 'number of tourists visiting', and 'people prefer to spent' should be 'people preferred to spend'. There are also issues with article usage, such as 'stay on island' instead of 'stay on the island'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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