Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-14

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 rendered line graph depicts the number of tourists visiting a particular caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.

overall, the total of tourists increased considerably throughout the period. the number of visitors staying on cruise ships rose significantly, while the figure for tourists staying on the island increased more graduallly and fluctuated slightly towards the end.

In 2010, approxiamaely 0.75 million tourists stayed on the island, compared with 0.25 million who stayed on cruise ships. The number of visitors staying on the island remained stable at around 0.75 million in 2011 before rising to approxiamately 1.5 million in 2013. This figure remained unchanged until 2015, then fell slightly to 1.25 million in 2016.

By contrast, the number of tourist staying on cruise ships fluctuated during the early years, starting at 0.25 million in 2010. From 2013 onwards however this figure increased steadily, reaching 2 million by 2017. conquently, the total number of visitors climbed from 1 million in 2010 to approxiamately 3.5 million in 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response selects the main trends accurately and gives a clear overview: total visitor numbers rose substantially, cruise-ship visitors increased markedly, and island-staying visitors changed more gradually. The opening and closing figures for the island and cruise categories are reported correctly, as are the total of about 1 million in 2010 and 3.5 million in 2017. The account also identifies the island figure’s slight fall in 2016. To make the report more fully developed, include key comparisons at the end—for example, cruise-ship visitors overtook island-staying visitors in 2017—and describe the total’s brief plateau at about 2.75 million in 2015–16. These additions would sharpen the overview without requiring every data point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear four-part structure: introduction, overview, island-stay details, and cruise-ship figures with the total. The progression from one visitor category to the other is easy to follow, and phrases such as “By contrast” and “consequently” help signal relationships. This meets the lower-band expectation of an overall coherent arrangement, while the focused paragraphs show some stronger organisation. However, cohesion is not consistently smooth: the final paragraph combines cruise-ship trends and total figures, and “consequently” suggests a direct causal link rather than simply reporting a related trend. The overview could also guide the later comparisons more explicitly. Grouping the final-year comparison with the total trend would create a more integrated progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “remained stable,” “rose significantly,” “fluctuated,” and “climbed,” which allows the main trends to be communicated. Some variation between “number,” “figure,” and “visitors” also helps avoid excessive repetition. However, the range is not always precise or natural: “the total of tourists” is less idiomatic than “the total number of tourists,” and “the number of tourist” is an inaccurate form. Several spelling errors—“caribbean,” “approxiamaely,” “approxiamately,” “graduallly,” and “conquently”—also limit control. Aim for accurate spelling and more precise trend language, especially when distinguishing a steady rise from a fluctuation or plateau.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex forms, including a contrast clause (“while the figure…”) and time clauses such as “before rising to approximately 1.5 million.” Most sentences communicate the intended trends clearly, and past-tense reporting is generally maintained. Some grammatical errors remain, however. “The total of tourists” has an awkward noun construction, while “the number of tourist staying” needs a plural noun and a clearer relative clause, such as “the number of tourists who stayed.” Sentence-initial capitalization is also inconsistent: “overall” and “conquently” should begin with capitals. The final sentence’s opening connector would be better separated with a comma. More consistent editing of agreement, sentence openings, and punctuation would improve accuracy.

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.