Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-01

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 above depicts the number of tourist visitors to the caribbean Island in the year 2010 to 2017 with the units measured in millions.

The graph represents three categories of tourists on ship, Island and total and they all recorded and increase at the end of the period under consideration as compared to the start with the total number of visitors having the highest leap.

The number of tourists on ship quite oscillated from 2010 to 2013 hovering around 0 to 0.5 million before it slowly climbed and reached its zenith of 2 million in the year 2017. In 2010, the number of tourists on Island was higher than those on ship with above 0.5 million but had its peak in 2013 till 2015 where it plateaued at around 1.5 million and fluctuated a bit before climbing back to 1.5 million in 2017.

The total number of visitors however started at 1 million in 2010 and climbed continiously to its apex in 2015 where it clocked 3.5 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the graph, providing an overview and making relevant comparisons, such as noting that visitors staying on the island were initially higher than those on ships in 2010. However, some aspects are under-developed or contain inaccuracies; for instance, the total number of visitors is reported as reaching its apex in 2015 at 3.5 million, whereas the graph shows this peak actually occurred in 2017. Furthermore, the description of the trends includes some minor generalisations and loose figures, preventing the response from achieving a higher rating.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response achieves a coherent overall arrangement and demonstrates clear logical progression throughout. Information is grouped reasonably well into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs detailing specific data series. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as "however" and "before it slowly climbed", though referencing and paragraph linking are at times slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is employed, but the integration of sentences shows glimpses of higher-level organizational skill while retaining typical limitations of the given band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

An adequate range of vocabulary is deployed for the task, with attempts to use less common items and functional reporting language such as "zenith", "plateaued", and "apex". However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as "tourist visitors" and "on ship", as well as minor stylistic awkwardness like "the total number of visitors having the highest leap". These lexical errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the score, showing typical features of successful performance at this level alongside partial control of more precise terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and varied clause structures. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ("to the caribbean Island", "on ship") and prepositional inaccuracies ("tourist visitors to"). Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication, and the sentence structures remain generally clear. A good portion of the sentences are well-formed, balancing error-prone complex attempts with straightforward, accurate clauses.

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

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