Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-21

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 the number of tourists who visited a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017, distinguishing between those who stayed on islans and those who stayed on cruise ships.

Overall, the total number of the visitors increased considerably over the period. The number of tourists staying on island rose before levelling off, whereas the figure for cruise-ship visitors fluctuated initially and then grew substantiall. By the end of the period, cruise ships tourists had become larger group.

In 2010, approximately 0.75 million tourists stayed on the island, while around 0.25 million people stayed on cruise ships. The number of the island-based vistitors increased steadily, reaching approximately 1.5 million in 2013. It then remained unchanged untill 2015, before falling stightly to around 1.25 million 2016 and recovering to 1.5 million in 2017.

In contrast, the number of visitors staying on cruise ships initially fluctuated. After falling to 0.25 million in 2012, the figure rose steadily, reaching arond 1 million in 2014 and 1.25 million in 2015. It then incresed to 1.5 million in 2016 and 2 million in 2017. Consequently the total numbers of vistiors from about 1 million in 2010 to 3.5 million in 2017.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response selects the main features and gives a clear overview: total visitor numbers rose considerably, island stays levelled off after increasing, and cruise-ship visitors grew to become the larger group by 2017. The figures and comparisons are generally accurate, including the island total reaching about 1.5 million in 2013 and cruise visitors rising to 2 million at the end. The account also covers the island category’s later dip and recovery. One important detail is less fully reported: the total plateaued at approximately 2.75 million in 2015 and 2016 before rising to 3.5 million. The final sentence also states the total’s start and end points but omits the verb describing its increase. Overall, the key trends are well selected and supported, with a little room for fuller reporting of the total series.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised in a clear sequence: an introduction, an overview, then separate paragraphs describing island-based and cruise-ship visitors. This makes the two categories easy to compare, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “Consequently” help signal the relationships between ideas. The progression within each category is also logical, moving from the starting point through the main changes to 2017. However, the final sentence is grammatically incomplete, which weakens the closing connection between the cruise-ship trend and the total figures. Some transitions are also quite formulaic, and the total series is introduced only at the end rather than being integrated more smoothly into the comparison. More precise linking and a complete concluding sentence would strengthen an otherwise clear progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for describing a line graph, with useful trend language such as “increased considerably,” “levelling off,” “fluctuated,” “remained unchanged,” and “recovering.” These choices help distinguish the patterns in the two visitor groups. However, several spelling errors are noticeable, including “islans,” “substantiall,” “vistitors,” “untill,” “stightly,” “arond,” “incresed,” and “vistiors.” There are also awkward or inaccurate collocations, particularly “cruise ships tourists had become larger group” and “the total numbers of visitors.” These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the report, but they reduce precision and control. Aim for accurate forms such as “cruise-ship visitors became the larger group” and check spelling carefully during proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause (“whereas the figure for cruise-ship visitors…”) and time clauses (“before falling…,” “After falling…”). Most of the trends remain understandable. Some grammatical errors are present, however. In “the total numbers of visitors from about 1 million…,” the sentence lacks a main verb; for example, it could read “the total number of visitors rose from about 1 million…”. Articles and number agreement are also inconsistent in phrases such as “the number of the visitors” and “the total numbers.” In “to around 1.25 million 2016,” the year needs a preposition (“in 2016”). These are generally local errors rather than barriers to meaning. More consistent sentence completion, article use, and grammatical patterns would improve accuracy.

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