Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-03

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 a particular destination caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. The figuares are given in a millions.

Overall, it is clear that the figure of total number of visitors increased. In addition, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships had the highest figure, while those who stayed on island had the lowest.

Looking first at 2010, the figure of visitors staying on cruise shops stood between 0 to 0.5 million. It then rose to 0.5 million in 2011. After that, the figure decreased to around 0.4 million. From 2013 to 2014 it continued to rise, reaching at 1.5 million. In the final year, the figure reached a high of 2 million.

Turning to the figure of visitors staying on island, in 2010 the number of visitors was between 0.5 to 1 million. It then remained stable till 2011. After that, the figure climbed gradually from 1.4 million to 1.5 million from 2012 to 2013, it then stayed the same between 2013 to 2015. Then it fell from 1.5 million to 1.4 in 2016. By the end of the period, it had reached to 1.5 million. The figure of total number of visitors, inclined rapidly over the period, and then reached a peak of 3.5 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview and selecting main features from the line graph, such as the overall upward trend of total visitors. However, some ideas are under-developed or inaccurately supported by the data. For instance, the overview incorrectly claims that visitors staying on cruise ships had the highest figure overall, whereas the island visitors were actually higher for the first half of the period and the total line naturally exceeds both. Furthermore, the description of individual data points contains several inaccuracies compared to the visual data, such as misstating the starting point and trajectory for cruise ship visitors. To move to a higher band, all reported figures must accurately reflect the visual data and provide fully extended comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at paragraphing, separating the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Information is generally ordered logically, starting with an introductory overview and moving into chronological details for each category. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, relying on repetitive transitions like 'It then' and 'After that'. Additionally, referencing is not always clear, and the paragraphing mixes different trends without smooth thematic grouping. The half-band achievement reflects a clear structure and logical progression, but achieving a higher band requires more varied and flexible cohesive devices, alongside more precise referencing to connect ideas seamlessly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic trends using terms like 'increased', 'rose', and 'decreased'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'destination caribbean island' (unnecessary repetition), 'figuares' (spelling error), 'given in a millions' (article error), and referring to 'cruise shops' instead of ships. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but these attempts are accompanied by inaccuracies in word choice and spelling that occasionally require the reader to interpret the intended meaning. To reach the next band, the student needs to use a wider, more precise range of vocabulary with accurate spelling and natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over basic past tense structures for describing trends. However, there are some grammar and punctuation errors throughout the text, such as missing articles ('in a millions'), incorrect prepositions ('reaching at 1.5 million'), and punctuation issues like comma splices ('from 2012 to 2013, it then stayed'). While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they persist across multiple sentences. To achieve a higher band, the writer must produce a greater frequency of error-free complex sentences and demonstrate better control over articles, prepositions, and punctuation within complex clauses.

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

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