Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-30

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)

This graph shows the total number of tourists who visited a Caribbean Island annually, between 2010 and 2017 and compares those tourists who stayed on cruise ships to those who stayed on the island.

From 2010 to 2014, there is growing trend of tourists who visited a Carribean Island annually which increased 2.5 times from 1 million per year to 2.5 million per year. From 2014 to 2015, there was a decline in growth rate where the difference between last year's growth was only about quarter of a million. The chart line was at halt for the year 2015 to 2016 showing no change in visitor figures. After 2017 however, a sharp up trend is observed bringing the total visits in that year to be 3.5 million.

From 2010 to 2017 visitors who stayed on cruise ships was overall an uptrend which increased from almost quarter of a million to 2 million with the exception of the year 2012 where a decline in visitors can be noticed. The growth here seems nearly propotional to the total number of visitors.

The graph shows an increase of visitors staying on the island but the overall figures are not propotional to the total number of visitors. The figures from 2010 to 2017 show moslty a stable trend with a small drop in the year 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the total and both visitor categories, and the main overall rise is clear: the total grows from 1 million to 3.5 million, while cruise-ship visitors rise substantially. The account of island-based visitors also notes their relative stability and the dip in 2016. These features support a solid response to the task. However, some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: the total did not remain unchanged from 2015 to 2016; it stayed at about 2.75 million, after rising by only about 0.25 million from 2014 to 2015. “After 2017” is also misleading, since 2017 is the final year shown. The overview would be stronger if it explicitly contrasted the steady island figures with the accelerating cruise-ship growth, which drove the later increase in the total.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: an introduction, a paragraph on the total, and separate paragraphs for the two visitor groups. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the graph, and time markers such as “From 2010 to 2014” help locate changes. Some linking and reference choices, however, make the progression less precise. “The chart line” does not clearly identify which line is meant, and “The growth here” could refer either to cruise-ship visitors or to the total. The transition “After 2017 however” is confusing because the graph ends in 2017. To strengthen cohesion, use explicit references such as “the total” or “cruise-ship visitors,” and connect the category trends directly to the total’s rise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of graph-related language, including “decline,” “stable trend,” “small drop,” and “sharp up trend,” so the main changes are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more precise expressions, such as “growth rate” and “proportional,” though some choices are inaccurate or awkward in context. “The chart line was at halt” is not a natural collocation, and “the growth here seems nearly proportional to the total number” is not clearly supported by the figures. Spelling slips such as “Carribean,” “propotional,” and “moslty” also reduce accuracy. Aim for standard trend phrases and check spelling; this will make your descriptions more precise without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more developed sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “where” and “whereas”-type comparisons, and your meaning is usually clear. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “there is growing trend” needs an article, while “which increased 2.5 times” has an unclear reference and would be clearer as a direct statement that the total rose from 1 million to 2.5 million. “The chart line was at halt” also has an article error, and “the overall figures are not proportional” would need a clearer grammatical comparison. Tense use shifts between “there is” and past-tense descriptions of completed years. Keep the past tense consistent and check articles, clause references, and sentence punctuation.

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