Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-14

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 given line chart illustrates the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.

Overall, the total number of visitors increased significantly over the period.

While the number of visitors staying on the island showed some fluctuations, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships generally increased.

Looking first at the total number of visitors , the figure increased steadily during the first part of period.

Then it increased continue, although there was a period when the figure remained unchanged. By the end of the period , the total number had reached its highest level.

Turning to the visitors staying on the island, the figure initially remained stable before rising considerably.

After reaching a peak , it stayed almost unchanged for several years followed by a slight decline and a subsequent recovery.

In contrast, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships fluctuated at first but then increased considerably towards the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers all parts of the task by summarizing the main features of the line chart and providing relevant comparisons. You successfully identified the overall upward trend and contrasted the two categories of visitors: those staying on the island versus those staying on cruise ships. Your overview statement accurately captures the general trajectory. However, the description of specific data points could be slightly more precise; for example, writing "Then it increased continue, although there was a period when the figure remained unchanged" lacks specific figures or dates to fully support the summary. Despite this minor limitation in data referencing, all key trends—such as the peak and fluctuations—are duly reported, meeting the expectations for a Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

Your essay demonstrates a clear overall progression. You have structured the response logically by starting with an introduction and a clear overview paragraph, followed by distinct body paragraphs that address the overall total, island-staying visitors, and cruise ship passengers sequentially. Cohesive devices such as "Overall", "While", "Looking first at", "Turning to", and "In contrast" are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information. Although referencing is mostly clear, a greater variety of advanced cohesive devices could elevate the cohesion further. Overall, the logical organization and logical progression throughout warrant a solid Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, successfully incorporating terms relevant to data trends such as "fluctuated", "remain unchanged", "considerable", and "subsequent recovery". However, there are some lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, most notably in the phrase "Then it increased continue", which contains a grammatical and lexical collision. Additionally, vocabulary choices are somewhat standard and lack the more sophisticated, precise collocation found at higher band levels. While these vocabulary errors and limitations do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band, placing it comfortably at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as "While the number of visitors staying on the island showed some fluctuations, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships generally increased." There is good control over punctuation, and many sentences are grammatically sound. However, noticeable errors occur, such as the ungrammatical phrase "Then it increased continue", which indicates a lack of control when attempting to modify verb forms. Other structures are handled with reasonable accuracy, but the presence of awkward phrasing and minor errors means that the majority of sentences are not error-free. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

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

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