Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the number of tourists visiting Caribbean island including those staying on cruise ships and on island between 2010 and 2017.

Overall, it can be seen that the visitors staying on cruise ships initially recorded the highest number whereas the number of visitors staying on island was relatively low and overtook the number of people staying on ships at the end of the period.

The number of visitors staying on ships followed the upward trend with almost 0.3 millions visitors in 2010, increased significantly to 0.5 millions in 2011 before declining slightly to 0.3 and afterwards it went up steadily to 2 millions at the end of the period, overtaking the number of visitors staying on island between 2015 and 2016.

However, the figure showing the number of visitors staying on ships fluctuated throughout the period. At beginning, it was 0.7 millions, remained the same in the following year, rose substantially to 1.5 millions in 2013, plateaued for the next two years. The number of visitors declined slightly to approximately 1.3 millions before rising to 1.5 millions at the end of the period.

The total figure showed the upward trend, rising from 1 million to 3.5 millions by 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview and reporting the main trends for visitors staying on cruise ships, those staying on the island, and the total figure. A clear overview is included in the second paragraph, capturing the key developments such as the crossover at the end of the period. However, there are some data confusions in the body paragraphs where the labels for cruise ship visitors and island visitors appear to be swapped or mixed up regarding the figures (e.g., stating that the ship visitors reached 2 millions while describing details that seem attributed to the other category). Despite this confusion in data mapping, the student effectively selects and reports key features and makes relevant comparisons, aligning well with the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The report presents a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating the introduction, overview, body details, and final summary. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'At beginning'. However, referencing and progression are occasionally faulty because the confusion between the two data lines creates tracking issues across paragraphs. For instance, the transition from paragraph three to paragraph four feels abrupt due to the mixed-up category labels. Nevertheless, the logical structure is generally maintained, and the sequencing of time periods from 2010 to 2017 is clear throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a Task 1 response, employing terms such as 'illustrates', 'upward trend', 'fluctuated', 'substantially', and 'plateaued'. There are some awkward phrasings and slight inaccuracies, such as 'almost 0.3 millions visitors' (where 'million' should not take an 's') and referencing 'on island' instead of 'on the island'. However, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main trends and data points without severely impeding understanding, placing the lexical performance solidly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response incorporates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses (e.g., 'visiting Caribbean island including those staying on cruise ships and on island'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward omissions, notably article usage ('on island', 'the upward trend' used twice identically) and pluralisation errors ('0.5 millions'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors do occur, they rarely impede communication, allowing the writer to achieve a Band 6.0 for grammatical range and accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.