Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-19

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 line graph illustrates total number of individuals visiting a particular Caribbean island from the year 2010 to 2017.

Overall, all categories increased, although all at different rates. Total visitors increased rapidly over the years whereas visitor staying on island remains relatively stable.

At the beginning of the period, total number of visitors stood at one million and increased sharply reaching a peak of 3.5 million visitors at the end of 2017. Visitor staying in cruise ship rose from around 0.25 million to 2 millions at the end of the period. In addition, visitors staying on island rose gradually from 0.75 million to 1.5 millions. After reaching a peak of 1.5 million in 2014 and 2015 the figure fell to around 1.5 million in 2016 and fluctuate around the number. By the end of the period, visitors staying on cruise had overtaken those who staying on island even after starting from low.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response identifies the main overall pattern: total arrivals rise substantially, while the island-staying group is comparatively stable, and it notes that cruise-ship visitors eventually overtake island visitors. It also supports this with key figures, including the total increasing from 1 million to 3.5 million and cruise visitors rising from about 0.25 million to 2 million. These details address the task clearly. However, the overview says “all categories increased,” which is too broad because island visitors dip from 1.5 million to 1.25 million in 2016. The account of that series is also unclear: it says the figure fell to 1.5 million in 2016, although it was already 1.5 million in 2015. More precise reporting of the mid-period fluctuations would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear four-part structure: an introduction, an overview, and two sections of supporting detail. The progression from the overall trends to figures for each visitor group is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “At the beginning of the period,” and “In addition” help guide the reader. This gives the report a coherent arrangement. Some connections are less effective, however. The sentence beginning “After reaching a peak” is difficult to follow because the stated fall to 1.5 million does not describe a change from the preceding 1.5 million, and “and fluctuate around the number” leaves the reference unclear. More precise sequencing and clearer references to each series would make cohesion more flexible and less dependent on basic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for describing a line graph, with useful choices such as “increased sharply,” “rose gradually,” “stood at,” and “overtaken.” These expressions communicate the main movements and comparisons without obscuring meaning. There is some variation in how trends are described, but several phrases are imprecise or awkwardly collocated, including “all categories increased,” “visitor staying on island,” and “visitors staying on cruise.” “Fluctuate around the number” is also vague and does not clearly identify the trend. Greater precision in naming the groups and describing changes—especially a rise, plateau, or dip—would improve flexibility and control. The vocabulary is generally understandable, though these word-choice issues limit its accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “Overall, all categories increased, although all at different rates” and the time clause “After reaching a peak…”. Most sentences remain understandable, and the writer attempts to vary sentence openings. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly with articles, number, and verb forms: “total number of individuals” needs an article, “visitor staying” lacks appropriate plural marking, and “the figure fell … and fluctuate” shifts tense and agreement. The final phrase “those who staying” also has an incomplete verb construction. These errors rarely prevent the reader from understanding the report, but proofreading for consistent past tense, singular/plural agreement, and complete clauses 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.