Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-07

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 amount of visitors gathering at particular Caribbean island in year 2010 to 2017.

Overall, all lines showed upward trend, however, visitors who were staying on cruise ships are rose sharply. While, visitors who preferred to stay on island grew gradually. All the total numbers of visitors had steeply jumped after a bit fluctuation in two years of beginning time period.

At first glance, 1 millions of visitors booked cruise ships to stay in year 2010 and witnessed dramatic surge to 3.5 millions in year 2017. Guests who decided to accommodate themselves on island showed fluctuated trend. From year 2010 to 2011 remained constant between 0.5 and 1 millions after that grew slightly to 1.5 in year 2013 and again remained plateaued until 2015 and then followed with a minimal dip in 2016 and end at 1.5 millions in 2017.

All total numbers of visitors had fluctuation throughout the year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying the upward trends for both cruise and island visitors. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention the 'dramatic surge' for cruise ship visitors, the description of the island visitors is slightly repetitive and lacks a clear comparison between the two categories at key points (e.g., the crossover point). The overview is present but could be more precise regarding the total figures. To improve, ensure you provide a clearer summary of the overall relationship between the two data sets rather than just listing individual trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'While', and 'At first glance' to signal transitions. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'after that grew slightly' and 'followed with a minimal dip'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the final sentence is disconnected from the rest of the paragraph. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would help achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dramatic surge', 'fluctuated', and 'plateaued'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation that occasionally hinder precision. For example, 'amount of visitors' should be 'number of visitors', and 'gathering at particular Caribbean island' is unnatural. Additionally, phrases like 'two years of beginning time period' are clunky. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout, such as 'visitors who were staying on cruise ships are rose sharply' (incorrect verb tense/passive voice) and '1 millions of visitors' (incorrect pluralisation). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on consistent verb tenses and correct noun-number agreement will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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