Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-06

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, measured in millions, who visited Caribbean Island over the period of 8 years. It also gives the comparison of visitors who prefer cruise ships over island for the purpose of staying.

Overall, the graph shows the steady upward trend of visitors between 2010 and 2017. It can be observed that number of visitors gradually increase from 1 million to 3 million over this time period. The main point to notice is that this increase is always not stable, as for 1 year, between 2016 to 2017, the line remains constant, demonstrating no increase or decrease in total number of visitors from the previous years.

It can also be seen that most people preferred to stay on island but this trend saw a sharp decline in 2016, whereas there is a steady increase in number of people who wants to stay on cruise ships, and still remaining the favorite spot in 2017

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the overall rise in tourist numbers and compare the two accommodation groups, so the response addresses the main parts of the task. However, several key details are inaccurate: the total reaches about 3.5 million in 2017, not 3 million, and it does not remain constant from 2016 to 2017; it rises from about 2.75 to 3.5 million. The claim that island visitors saw a “sharp decline” in 2016 also overstates a small fall, from roughly 1.5 to 1.25 million. Your overview would be more effective if it highlighted the strong growth in cruise-ship visitors and the fact that island stays were higher for most of the period, before cruise visitors became the larger group in 2017. Some comparisons are therefore relevant but not fully accurate or developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and a final paragraph describing the two visitor groups. This gives the reader a basic progression from the general trend to comparisons. Linking phrases such as “Overall” and “It can also be seen” help signal the stages of the report. However, the final paragraph combines several comparisons in one long sentence, making the relationship between the island and cruise-ship trends less clear. The reference to “this increase” and “the line” is also not always precise about which series is being discussed. Organise the details more explicitly—for example, describe island stays first and cruise stays second, then compare their positions in 2017—and use clear references to each series.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a graph, including “steady upward trend,” “gradually increase,” “sharp decline,” and “remains constant.” These expressions show an attempt to vary your wording rather than relying only on “go up” and “go down.” Some choices are imprecise or awkward, however: “prefer cruise ships over island” does not clearly describe accommodation, and “favorite spot” is informal and does not fit the chart’s categories. “Sharp decline” also exaggerates the modest fall in island visitors in 2016. Aim for precise, neutral terms such as “stayed on cruise ships,” “stayed on the island,” and “fell slightly.” This would make the comparisons more accurate and the register more consistently academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and the clause introduced by “as.” The main meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the number of visitors gradually increase” needs subject–verb agreement and a consistent tense (“increased”), while “people who wants” should be “people who wanted.” Articles and prepositions are also missing or awkward in “Caribbean Island” and “stay on island.” The sentence beginning “The main point to notice” is difficult to follow because its clause structure and punctuation are not well controlled. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build longer comparisons from clearly connected clauses; this will improve control without sacrificing sentence variety.

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.