Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-13

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 illustrate the millions of visitors visiting a Caribbean island and staying on cruise ships and island between 2010 and 2017. Overall, the figure for total number of tourists has followed an upward trend. The number of tourists staying on cruise ships and island has also risen significantly with some slight fluctuations.

According to the graph, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships remained the same for a year from 2010 and then increased gradually to 1.5 million in 2013. This figure remained consistent for three consecutive years till 2015 and then dropped slightly to approximately 1.25 million in the following year, but then rose back again to 1.5 million in 2017.

The data for visitors staying on island shows that the graph followed a continuous upward and downward trend for 3 years from 2010, but then rose gradually to 2 million visitors in 2017. The total number of visitors also increased over three times over the period of seven years from 1 million in 2010 to 3.5 million in 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the overall rise in total visitors and include figures for the beginning and end of the period, which gives the reader a basic picture of the trend. However, several key details are misreported: cruise-ship visitors rose to about 1.5 million in 2016 and 2 million in 2017, rather than reaching 1.5 million in 2013 and falling in 2016. The island-stay figure did not rise to 2 million; it fluctuated between roughly 0.75 and 1.5 million. The overview also says both categories rose significantly, although island visitors levelled off and dipped. More accurate selection and comparison of the two categories, alongside the total’s steady growth, would make the summary more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs about the visitor categories and total. The sequence from the earlier years to 2017 is generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “According to the graph,” and “but then” help signal relationships. This coherent structure meets the expected level, though the progression is not always effective because the second body paragraph combines the island-stay trend with the total, while the first paragraph’s account of cruise visitors is inaccurate. Some references, such as “the graph” in “the graph followed a continuous upward and downward trend,” are also imprecise. Grouping and comparing the series more clearly would strengthen cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “upward trend,” “remained consistent,” “fluctuations,” and “approximately,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts to describe change with different expressions, such as “increased gradually” and “rose back again.” However, some choices are imprecise or repetitive: “the graph followed a continuous upward and downward trend” describes the visual rather than the data, and “increased over three times” is not a natural way to express the total’s growth. “Visitors visiting” is also repetitive. More precise terms such as “fluctuated,” “levelled off,” and “more than tripled” would improve accuracy and naturalness while retaining the clear vocabulary already present.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “although,” “but,” and “then,” and most sentences remain understandable. Some grammatical errors are noticeable, however. The opening has subject–verb disagreement in “The line graph illustrate,” and the phrase “the total number of tourists has followed” would be clearer with an article before “total.” In “remained the same for a year from 2010,” the time expression is awkwardly formed, while “over three times over the period” repeats the preposition and creates an unclear construction. The long sentence describing cruise visitors also contains several linked stages that would be easier to control if divided. Check agreement and sentence boundaries, and practise accurate comparative structures.

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