Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-11

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 7.0)

The line graph illustrates the number of tourists who visited a Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, the total number of visitors experienced significant growth over the seven-year period. While the number of tourists choosing to stay on cruise ships saw a dramatic and continuous rise, the figures for those staying on the island plateaued in the final years.

In 2010, the total number of tourists stood at 1 million, with the vast majority (750,000) opting to stay on the island, while only 250,000 stayed on cruise ships. Over the next three years, island-based visitors increased to 1.5 million, before stabilizing at this exact figure until 2017, despite a brief dip in 2016.

Conversely, the popularity of cruise ship accommodation grew steadily from 2010 to 2012, followed by a sharp surge. Cruise ship tourists overtook island guests and at 2 million by 2017. Driven by this surge, the overall number of visitors climbed consistently, pausing briefly at 2.7 million in 2015 and 2016, before rising sharply to a peak of 3.5 million at the end of the period.

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 highlighted the key contrast between the island-based visitors and cruise ship passengers effectively. The data points are accurate, and you have made relevant comparisons, such as noting when cruise ship tourists overtook island guests. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are described with complete grammatical precision; for instance, the phrase 'and at 2 million by 2017' is missing a verb, which slightly impacts the clarity of the comparison. Overall, the response is well-structured and covers all requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that group information effectively. You use cohesive devices such as 'Conversely', 'While', and 'Driven by this surge' to guide the reader through the data. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the initial state in 2010 to the final trends in 2017. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis. The flow is natural, and the relationship between the different categories of tourists is clearly articulated throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an IELTS Task 1 response. Phrases like 'significant growth', 'dramatic and continuous rise', 'plateaued', and 'sharp surge' are used effectively to describe trends. There is a good level of precision in your word choices. While the vocabulary is sufficient and accurate, incorporating a few more sophisticated collocations or less common synonyms could elevate the response further. The spelling is accurate throughout, and the terminology related to the graph is used correctly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures with generally good control. However, there are a few minor slips that prevent a higher score. For example, the sentence 'Cruise ship tourists overtook island guests and at 2 million by 2017' contains a grammatical error (missing 'stood' or 'reached'). Additionally, 'pausing briefly at 2.7 million in 2015 and 2016' is a fragment that relies on the previous sentence for context. Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are clear and error-free, and your use of punctuation is generally sound.

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

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