IELTS Writing Task 1 Sample Answer Essay IELTS Cambridge 15: Tourists Visiting a Caribbean Island
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
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 those 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 increased sharply to 3.5 million by the end of the period.
Analysis
1. 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. 2. Overall, total tourists rose considerably, and those staying on cruise ships increased in particular, overtaking those staying on the island itself, which underwent a more moderate increase.
- Paraphrase what the line chart shows.
- Write a general overview that describes the trend for all areas.
1. Visitors residing on the island during their travels began the period at about .75 million, about 500,000 above those on cruise ships. 2. 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. 3. 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.
- Begin to describe the data. Always compare.
- You don’t need all the data but focus on important changes/growth/falls.
- Follow both to the end of the period, comparing them throughout.
1. 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 increased sharply to 3.5 million by the end of the period.
- Don’t forget to write about the overall numbers as well!
