Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-09

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 chart depicts the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.

Overall, the te number of tourists increased over the 7 years in both categories, including visitors staying on cruise ships and visitors staying on the island. There is a dramatic increase in the total number of visitors. The number of visitors staying on cruise ships increased more than the number of visitors on the island.

The number of visitors staying on the island showed fluctuation. From 2010 to 2011, the numbers remained stable, whereas the number of visitors staying on cruise ships increased slightly. However, there is a parabolic change in the number of visitors on the island from 2011 to 2016. There is a small drop in the number of visitors staying on cruise ships from 2011 to 2012.

From 2016 to 2017, there is again a small rise in the number of visitors staying on the island, and the number went from 0.75 million to 1.5 million over the 7 years, with ups and downs. There was almost a linear surge in the number of visitors staying on cruise ships from the year 2012 to 2017, followed by a huge rise in numbers from 0.25 million to 2 million, followed by an increase in the total number of visitors from 1 million to 3.5 million over the 7 years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address the task and provide a clear overview: total visitor numbers rose substantially, and cruise-ship visitors grew more than those staying on the island. Several figures are accurately reported, including the total rising from 1 million to 3.5 million and cruise-ship visitors reaching 2 million in 2017. This covers the main pattern and shows the stronger growth in one category. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: island visitors rose from 0.75 million in 2010 to 1.5 million in 2017, not from 0.75 million over the seven years as phrased, and the island series did not show a parabolic change. The overview also says both categories increased over the period, but could more clearly note that island numbers levelled off and fluctuated after 2012. More precise comparisons would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the two visitor categories and the total. Time markers such as “From 2010 to 2011” and “From 2016 to 2017” help orient the reader. However, progression is weakened by repeated references to increases and by details that are not grouped consistently: the final paragraph moves from island visitors to cruise-ship visitors and then to the total in one long sentence. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated “followed by,” and “However” does not clearly signal the relationship between the points that follow. Organise the body into clearer comparisons, and use references such as “this figure” only where the referent is unmistakable. This would make the overall sequence easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of trend vocabulary, including “increased,” “remained stable,” “fluctuation,” “drop,” and “surge,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “dramatic increase.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a line graph. “Parabolic change” does not accurately describe the island series, while “almost a linear surge” combines terms that suggest different patterns. “Huge rise in numbers” is also less precise than describing the scale of the increase. Repetition of “number of visitors” limits flexibility, and the typo “te” detracts from accuracy. Use concise alternatives such as “visitor totals,” “rose steadily,” and “fluctuated slightly,” selecting terms that match the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause with “whereas” and a time clause beginning “From 2016 to 2017.” Most sentences communicate the intended trends, and errors rarely prevent understanding. Some tense choices are inconsistent: the report shifts between past forms (“increased,” “remained”) and present forms (“there is,” “the number went”), although the data describe a completed period. The final sentence is also overloaded, with several clauses joined through repeated “followed by,” making the grammatical relationships harder to track. In “the number went from 0.75 million to 1.5 million over the 7 years,” the structure is understandable but the time span is expressed awkwardly. Keep the report consistently in the past tense and divide long comparisons into shorter, controlled sentences.

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