Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-07

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 below depicts the number of visitors to specific Caribbean island during the year 2010 and 2017.

Overall, the number of people visiting island were very low initially which grew gradually till the end of 2017. The number of visitors staying on inland contributed at the larger scale initially. Afterwards, proportion of people staying on cruise ships increased till the end of 2017.

Initially, there were less number of visitors to an island which were about 1 million which grew gradually till the end of 2015. Afterwards it plateued between 2015 and 2016 and increased sharply till the end of 2017 which were about 3.5 million.

There were two types of people compared which are, the people who stayed on inland to that of the visitors who stayed on cruise ships. At first, the number of people staying on island were greater than that of staying on ships which were about 0.7 million. Whereas, the number of people staying on ships were around 0.3 million. The proportion of visitors staying on island grew till the end of 2013 and later plateued between 2013 to 2015. In contrast, the number of people staying on cruise ships increased gradually till the year 2015. Later, the number of people visting cruise ships were greater than that of who stayed on island despite, the number of people on cruise and island met between 2015 and 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the overall rise in total visitors and the shift from island-based stays being more numerous initially to cruise-ship visitors becoming more prominent later. The figures of about 1 million at the start and 3.5 million in 2017 are accurate, and you note the total’s pause around 2015–16. However, some key details are unclear or inaccurate: the total first reaches about 2.75 million in 2015 and remains there in 2016, while the two accommodation groups do not meet in 2015–16; island stays are about 1.5 million and cruise visitors rise from 1.25 to 1.5 million over those years. The overview also says the total grew gradually, although its rise accelerates in later years. More precise comparisons would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the total and the two visitor categories. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the graph. Some linking is effective, particularly the contrast introduced by “In contrast.” However, progression is occasionally weakened by repetition of “till the end” and by returning to the same comparisons without clearly organising them by period. The final sentence is difficult to follow because “despite” is used awkwardly and the claim about the lines meeting is unclear. Use a clearer sequence—overall trend, then early and later category comparisons—and make references such as “which” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant graph vocabulary, including “increased,” “contributed,” “proportion,” “plateaued,” and “in contrast,” so the main trends can generally be understood. There is some attempt to vary wording, but several choices are inaccurate or repetitive. “Visitors staying on inland” is not the right expression for people staying on the island, and “people visiting island” needs a more natural phrase. “The number of people on cruise” is also imprecise; refer to visitors staying on cruise ships. Spelling errors such as “plateued” and “visting” reduce accuracy, while repeated use of “people” and “till the end” limits range. Choose precise terms such as “tourists,” “visitor numbers,” and “remained stable.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including contrast clauses and time references, and the main message is usually understandable. Some grammatical errors remain across the response. For example, “the number of people visiting island … were” has article and subject–verb agreement problems; “the number … were about 1 million” similarly mismatches a singular subject and verb. In “which grew gradually,” the reference of “which” is unclear, and the sentence beginning “There were two types of people compared which are” is awkwardly constructed. Punctuation also needs attention in “despite, the number…”. Check articles, singular/plural agreement, and clause structure, and use past-tense forms consistently when describing the completed period.

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