Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-18

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 graph illustrates the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.

Overall, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships and on island both fluctuated over the period. The total number of visitors increased gradually and peaked at the end.

In 2010, the visitors on the cruise ship were at their lowest and rose to approximately 0.5 million in 2011. The figures declined again in 2012 and recovered again in 2013. From here the visitors increased steadily to 1 million in 2014, 1.3 in 2015, 1.5 in 2016 and peaked in 2017 with 2 million visitors.

Furthermore, the visitors on island remained about 0.7 million until 2011, they increased to 1.3 million in 2012 and 1.5 in 2013. It remained unchanged till 2015 and decreased in 2016. They climed to 1.5 million again in 2017. Moreover, the total number of visitors on the Caribbean island were 1 million in 2010, 1.3 in 2011, 1.5 in 2012, 2 in 2013, 2.5 in 2014, 2.7 in 2015, whicg remained steady till 2016 and rose to 3.5 million visitors in 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all three series and report the main overall rise in total visitors, including the final peak of 3.5 million. Most figures and trends are accurate: cruise-ship visitors rise to 2 million, while island-based visitors reach about 1.5 million. However, the overview says both visitor categories “fluctuated,” which is too broad: island stays were largely stable from 2013 to 2015, and cruise-ship numbers generally increased after 2012. The total also did not increase steadily throughout, as it remained level between 2015 and 2016. These details make some features less clearly characterised than they could be. A more precise overview contrasting the strong cruise-ship growth with the relative stability of island stays would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate discussion of the two visitor categories and the total. The chronological sequencing makes the figures easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall” and “Furthermore” help signal progression. However, the final paragraph combines island-stay figures with the total series, so the shift between topics is not always smooth. Some connections are also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “and” and “Moreover.” The overview’s broad statement about fluctuation does not prepare the reader for the more specific trends that follow. Grouping the total figures in a distinct paragraph and using clearer contrasts between the series would make the progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “increased steadily,” “remained unchanged,” “declined,” and “peaked,” which helps describe movement over time. The language is generally clear, but some choices are imprecise or repetitive: “visitors on the cruise ship” is less natural than a phrase describing visitors staying on cruise ships, and “visitors on island” needs a more idiomatic form. “Climbed” is misspelled as “climed,” and “whicg” is a spelling error. Repeated use of “visitors” and “increased” also limits variety. More precise terms such as “cruise-ship visitors,” “island-based visitors,” and “levelled off” would improve accuracy and flexibility without making the report sound overstated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the trends remain understandable. There are some grammatical errors, especially with agreement and sentence boundaries. For example, “the number of visitors … both fluctuated” has a singular subject, while “the total number … were 1 million” should also take a singular verb. The sentence “the visitors on island remained about 0.7 million until 2011, they increased…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma. Pronoun reference is also inconsistent in “It remained unchanged … They climbed,” where the subject changes without a clear reason. Check subject–verb agreement, use full stops or conjunctions to join clauses, and keep references consistent. These corrections would make the otherwise clear account more controlled.

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