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 represents the tourists flow to a Caribbean island from year 2010 to 2017. Furthermore, it compares the number of visitors staying on cruise ships and on islands during their trip.

Overall, there was a significant increase from 1 million to 3.5 million in the number of visitors. More tourists stayed in cruise ships than on island in 2017, in contrast to 2010.

Each year, there were more tourists visiting the island than the previous one with the exception of 2016. Tourist arrivals increased by a quarter of a million in 2011, 2012, and 2015, and by half a million in 2013 and 2014. Maximum growth in the number of travelers was experienced in 2017. In 2010, visitors staying on island were three times more than those staying on cruise ships. The visitors staying on island remained the same in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. After seven years, cruise ships residents surpassed the island residents by half a million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You highlighted the overall growth and the shift in preference between cruise ship and island stays. However, the report could be improved by providing more precise data points. For instance, when you mention 'maximum growth was experienced in 2017', it would be more effective to specify the exact figures to support this claim. Additionally, while you mention that island visitors remained the same between 2013 and 2015, ensuring all comparisons are explicitly linked to the graph's data would strengthen the response. Overall, you covered the key features well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraph. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Overall', and 'in contrast to' to link ideas effectively. However, the transition between the general trend and the specific data points could be smoother. Some sentences, such as 'Each year, there were more tourists visiting the island than the previous one with the exception of 2016', are clear, but the paragraphing could be improved by separating the specific data analysis into two distinct paragraphs to enhance readability and logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'significant increase', 'maximum growth', and 'surpassed' are used appropriately. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'tourists flow' (should be 'tourist flow' or 'flow of tourists') and 'cruise ships residents' (should be 'cruise ship passengers'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing when describing the data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as 'staying on island' (missing the article 'the') and 'tourists flow' (incorrect noun usage). Additionally, the phrasing 'cruise ships residents' is slightly awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading regarding articles and noun-adjective agreement to achieve a higher score.

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

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