Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-04

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 illustrates the number of visitors visiting a specific Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, the total number of tourists increased significantly throughout the period. The highest number of visitors stayed on island, while the lowest number of tourists stayed on cruise ships in 2010. However, the figures of visitors who stayed on island had been overtaken by the number of tourists staying on cruise ships by the end of the period.

The total number of visitors were 1 million in 2010 and it rose to 1.5 million in 2012. The trend showed substantial growth and reached to around 2.7 million by 2015 and remained stable in 2016 and then it climbed to 3.5 million by 2017.

In 2010, the number of visitors on island and cruise ships were approximately 0.7 million and 0.3 million. The figures of visitiors staying on island increased to nearly 1.2 million by 2012, while the number of visitors on cruise ships slightly increased to 0.5 million in 2011 but then dropped to around 0.3 million in 2012. Both of them experienced growth. Both trends had the same number of visitors to about 1.4 million in the mid of 2015, but in 2016, they diverged and the visitors staying on cruise ships had over taken the number of visitors on island. Consequently, the visitors staying on cruise ships reached to 2 million, whereas visitors staying on island were 1.5 million by 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview and highlighting key trends and comparisons between tourists staying on cruise ships and those staying on the island. The main features are appropriately reported, such as the overall upward trajectory of total visitors and the shift in popularity between the two accommodation types by 2017. However, the response exhibits a slight tendency to over-generalise or describe minor fluctuations without fully linking them to the broader picture. For instance, the exact figures for 2010 and subsequent years are described with minor inconsistencies in precision, which prevents the response from achieving a higher rating. To move further up, the analysis could maintain a tighter focus on significant comparative highlights throughout the timeline.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout, guiding the reader effectively from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the final conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overall trends from detailed data points. Cohesive devices are employed with reasonable flexibility, such as using transitional phrases like 'However', 'Consequently', and 'while'. Although referencing is mostly clear, a few cohesive links feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. To reach the next level, the writer could ensure smoother transitions between sentences by varying cohesive devices and avoiding occasional abrupt shifts in the flow of comparative data.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive phrases such as 'substantial growth', 'remained stable', and 'diverged'. However, there are notable limitations and minor lexical errors that restrict the score. For example, there are spelling slips like 'visitiors', awkward phrasing such as 'figures of visitors who stayed on island', and slight confusions in word choice like 'reached to'. These inaccuracies do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a lack of consistent precision in collocation and word form. Expanding the repertoire of precise reporting verbs and adjectives would elevate the lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, successfully incorporating relative clauses and comparative structures. There are several error-free sentences, showing a fair degree of control over grammar and punctuation. Nevertheless, a number of grammatical errors persist, such as subject-verb agreement issues in 'The total number of visitors were 1 million', incorrect prepositions or articles like 'stayed on island' instead of 'stayed on the island', and awkward passive forms like 'had over taken'. Because these errors occur with some frequency alongside successful complex structures, the writing sits comfortably in the middle band. Greater attention to article usage and subject-verb agreement would enhance accuracy.

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