The graph below shows the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.
Sample Response
The line graph details the total number of tourists, as well as where they stayed, going to a given Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. Overall, total tourists rose considerably, and those staying on cruise ships increased in particular, overtaking staying on the island itself, which underwent a more moderate increase.
Visitors residing on the island during their travels began the period at about.75 million, about 500,000 above those on cruise ships. From there, the numbers for the former climbed quickly to 1.5 million by 2013, a full million higher than the latter at the same time. Then those on the island were relatively steady until the end of the time surveyed, while cruise ship passengers rose steadily, surpassing the former figure midway through 2015 and reaching a peak in 2017 of 2 million.
The progressive patterns for visitors on cruise ships and the island were reflected in substantial gains for overall visitors, which started at 1 million in 2010, grew consistently to 2.7 million in 2015 before plateauing through 2016 and then increasing sharply to 3.5 million by the end of the period.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Complete the comparison Original: overtaking staying on the island itself Suggested revision: overtaking the number staying on the island itself Why it matters: The comparison needs a noun phrase parallel to the number of cruise-ship visitors.
- 2. Format the decimal Original: about.75 million Suggested revision: about 0.75 million Why it matters: A decimal below one needs a leading zero and no intervening full stop.
- 3. Use singular figure Original: numbers Suggested revision: figure Why it matters: A single data series is more precisely referred to as a figure here.
- 4. Complete the reference Original: a full million higher than the latter Suggested revision: a full million higher than the latter's figure Why it matters: The comparison is between two figures rather than between a figure and a group of visitors.
- 5. Include the 2016 dip Original: were relatively steady until the end of the time surveyed Suggested revision: were broadly stable overall, despite a dip in 2016 Why it matters: The island-based series fell from 1.5 to about 1.25 million in 2016 before recovering.
- 6. Correct the crossover Original: midway through 2015 Suggested revision: between 2015 and 2016 Why it matters: The plotted annual values show cruise-ship visitors below the island figure in 2015 and above it in 2016.
- 7. Order the details clearly Original: reaching a peak in 2017 of 2 million Suggested revision: reaching a peak of 2 million in 2017 Why it matters: Placing the value directly after peak makes the phrase clearer and more natural.
- 8. Use chart vocabulary Original: progressive patterns Suggested revision: upward trends Why it matters: Upward trends describes the increases in these series more precisely.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: The line graph details the total number of tourists, as well as where they stayed, going to a given Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. Suggested revision: The line graph shows the total number of tourists visiting a Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017 and distinguishes between those staying on the island and those staying on cruise ships. Why it matters: The original placement of going makes it appear to modify where they stayed rather than the tourists.
Suggested Rewrites
- overtaking staying on the island itself overtaking the number staying on the island itself
- about.75 million about 0.75 million
- numbers figure
- a full million higher than the latter a full million higher than the latter's figure
- were relatively steady until the end of the time surveyed were broadly stable overall, despite a dip in 2016
- midway through 2015 between 2015 and 2016
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response gives a clear overview, selects the main trends effectively, and uses fluent, well-organised language with strong comparative control. Its main limitation is slight imprecision about when cruise-ship visitors overtook island-based visitors, together with the omitted 2016 dip in the latter series; prioritise checking every crossover and temporary change against the graph before finalising the report.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and accurate selection of the main trends are provided, although the crossover timing is imprecise and the 2016 dip in island visitors is omitted.
Check every change point against the graph and state that cruise-ship visitors overtook island visitors between 2015 and 2016.
Coherence and Cohesion
The three-paragraph structure and progression from the two visitor groups to the total make the report easy to follow.
Make the comparison sequence even sharper by describing the 2016 reversal alongside the crossover rather than generalising the final years.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally precise, with effective trend language despite an occasional awkward reference such as "overtaking staying on the island itself".
Use explicit noun phrases such as "visitors staying on the island" whenever compressed references could sound awkward or ambiguous.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is handled accurately, with only minor local slips such as the malformed decimal "about.75 million".
Proofread numerical expressions and complex comparison clauses to remove small punctuation and construction errors.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.