Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-18

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 illustrate the number of travelers who visited a specific caribbean island from 2010 to 2017, categorized by whether they stayed on cruise ships or on the island itself, alongside the total visitors numbers.

To begin with, in 2010 the total number of tourists stood at 1 million and 0.75 million visitors chose to stay on the island, which was three time higher than the 0.25 million who prefered staying on cruise ships. Over the next three year, the number of island stayers rose steadily to 1.5 million in 2013, while cruise ship arrivals fluctuated slightly before climbing to 0.5 million.

After 2013, the number of people staying on island stoped growing and stayed the same at 1.5 million. However, ship visitors went up very fast. They passed island vistors in 2016 and hit 2.0 million in 2017. In the end, total 3.5 million visitors.

Overall, the total number of visitors went up over the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and reporting the main features of the chart. Data points are accurately cited, such as noting that in 2010 the total number of tourists stood at 1 million and that island stayers were three times higher than cruise ship visitors. The progression of the different categories over time is well-described, including the stagnation of island stayers after 2013 and the rapid rise of cruise ship visitors culminating in 2017. Although the conclusion contains a minor grammatical slip in the final sentence ('In the end, total 3.5 million visitors'), the key trends and comparisons are fully developed, earning a solid Band 7.0 for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The essay is appropriately divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, moving to the body details, and ending with an overall summary. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Over the next three year', 'After 2013', and 'However' are used reasonably well to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, and referencing is mostly clear. Minor mechanical slips in cohesion do not disrupt the overall flow, matching the Band 7.0 descriptor for logical organisation.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'categorized', 'fluctuated', 'stagnated' (implied by 'stayed the same'), and 'arrivals'. There are attempts at less common phrasing ('three time higher', 'island stayers'). However, there are a few word choice and form errors, such as 'illustrate' instead of 'illustrates', 'three year' instead of 'years', and 'vistors' / 'stoped' (spelling slips). These errors are occasional and do not impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses ('who visited', 'who prefered') and compound structures effectively. There are several grammatical errors present, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The line graph illustrate'), missing articles or copular verbs ('total 3.5 million visitors'), and minor spelling mistakes ('prefered', 'stoped'). Nonetheless, these errors rarely impede communication, and the complex structures attempted show an adequate level of control, warranting a Band 6.0 score.

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

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