Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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

Overall, it is evident that visitors staying on cruise ships had the largest number of visitors throughout the period and visitors staying on island were overtaken by total visitors before the period runs out.

Regarding visitors staying on cruise ships, They stood at 1 million in 2010 and then rose substantially to 2.5 million in 2014. Meanwhile, between 2015 and 2015, the number of visitors remained stable at roughly 2.7 million and by 2017 visitors staying on cruise ships reached 3.5 million.

Turning to visitors staying on island and total visitors, those staying on island reported a figure around 0.7 million in 2010, then rose slightly to roughly 1.4 million in 2012 and then levelled off between 2013 and 2015 at 1.5 million. Conversely, it dipped relatively to a value just below 1.3 million and rose slightly reaching 2017 at 1.5 million. However, total visitors recorded a figure around 0.3 million in 2010, it fluctuated between 2011 and 2013 and then maintained an upward trend reaching 2014 at 1 million. Consequently, it overtook visitors staying on island between 2015 and 2016 and peaked at 2 million in 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the graph, including the trends for cruise ship visitors, island stayers, and total visitors. You successfully identified the main trends and made relevant comparisons, such as noting when total visitors overtook island stayers. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting; for instance, you mention 'between 2015 and 2015' which is a typo, and the description of the total visitors' trend is slightly confusing in its timeline. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are clearly linked to the correct years and avoid minor inconsistencies in the summary of figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Regarding', 'Turning to', and 'Conversely' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the subject of the sentence 'it dipped' is ambiguous—it is not immediately clear if this refers to island stayers or total visitors. Improving the precision of your referencing and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'substantially', 'levelled off', 'fluctuated', and 'upward trend'. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'before the period runs out' (which is informal) and 'reported a figure around'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid slightly awkward phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'They stood at' (capitalization error after a comma), 'reaching 2017 at 1.5 million' (awkward prepositional usage), and 'total visitors recorded a figure... it fluctuated' (comma splice). These errors do not impede communication, but they do indicate a need for better control over sentence boundaries and prepositional phrases. Focusing on proofreading for punctuation and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy.

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