Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph compared the number of tourists at the Carrribean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, the graph represents the varying trends in the number of people visiting a island over the period of eight years.The total number of tourists increased consistently over the years. However, the figure highlights that the number of people staying on a island and a cruise ship mostly increased from 2010 to 2018 except facing a decline in 2012 for the people staying on a cruise ship and in 2011 and 2018 for the people staying at a island.

The total number of tourists increased continuously over the years and the figure peaked in 2017 with the number of 3.5 million people visiting the Carribean island. The other significant rise is observed for the people staying on a cruise ship with the highest figure of 2 million in 2017 after highlighting a slight drop of around 0.25 million in 2012 from 0.5 million visitors in 2011.

The marginal increase is observed in the figure of the people staying on a island from less than 1 million people in 2010 to 1.5 million people in 2017. The trend also highlights the drop in the number of visitors in 2011 and 2016 before rising back to 1.5 million in 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the overall rise in total visitors and report several relevant figures, including the total reaching 3.5 million and cruise-ship visitors reaching 2 million in 2017. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the period ends in 2017, not 2018, and island-staying visitors did not decline in 2011; their figure was stable at about 0.75 million. The overview also says both categories mostly increased, but would be more informative if it highlighted that island-staying numbers levelled off around 1.5 million while cruise-ship numbers rose strongly. The response covers the main trends, but some comparisons and stages are underdeveloped. Check each year against the graph and distinguish stable figures from declines.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs describing the total, cruise-ship visitors and island visitors. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the total’s continuous rise is stated in the overview and repeated at the start of the next paragraph. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “The trend also highlights” and “The other significant rise.” The overview combines several details in a long sentence, making the comparisons harder to follow. Grouping the two visitor categories by their contrasting patterns, and using clearer references such as “this figure” only when the referent is unmistakable, would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “peaked,” “decline,” “marginal increase” and “visitors,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal reporting language, such as “the figure highlights.” However, some choices are unnatural or imprecise: “the number of tourists at the island” is less suitable than describing visitors to the island, and “the marginal increase is observed in the figure” is awkward. “Carribean” and “Carrribean” are misspellings, while “a island” is an incorrect written form. Aim for precise, natural collocations and avoid repeating “figure” when “number” or “total” is clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “However” and a longer sentence describing changes in the two visitor groups. Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “visiting a island” and “staying on a island” have incorrect article use, and “from 2010 to 2018 except facing a decline” is an awkwardly formed clause. There is also a missing space after the full stop in “years.The,” and the sentence beginning “The marginal increase is observed” has an unclear grammatical relationship between the increase and the figure. Use accurate articles, separate sentences with appropriate spacing, and simplify clauses when their structure becomes difficult to control.

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.