Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below shows average carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the average amount of carbon dioxide emissions per person in four European countries namely, United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Portugal between 1967 and 2007.Overall, Carbon dioxide emissions decreased in the United Kingdom and Sweden, while Italy and Portugal experiences an upward trend. The Uk remained the highest emittors thruoghout the period,While Portugal experiences a lowest emittors at begin.

It can be seen that, In 1967, the United Kingdom had the highest Carbondioxide emissions, at approximatley 11 metric tonnes per person, and it remained same untill 1977, before falling to around 9 tonnes in 2007, Sweden started with 9 tonnes in 1967, and increased to 11 tonnes per person in 1977,and declined to 5 tonnes in 2007.

Italy started with approximately 4 tonnes in 1967, increased about to 6 metric tonnes in 1977, and increased significantly about to 7 metric tonnes in 1997, and remained same untill 2007, Similarly, Portugal begin with 0.5 tonnes per person in 1967 and increased in a good flow to approximatley 5 tonnes in 1997, after that remained almost same untill 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall contrast accurately: emissions fell in the UK and Sweden, while Italy and Portugal rose, and you note that the UK remained the highest. The country-by-country account also includes useful approximate figures and key changes, such as Sweden’s peak in 1977 and Portugal’s rise by 1997. This covers the task well, though some details are less fully or precisely reported: Portugal began at about 1.2 tonnes, rather than 0.5, and the UK fell gradually rather than staying unchanged until 1977. Italy’s rise to about 7.6 tonnes by 1997 and its subsequent stability could also be stated more accurately. A more precise overview and closer selection of figures would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the countries’ figures. The grouping of the UK and Sweden as declining series, followed by Italy and Portugal as rising series, gives the report a sensible progression. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “before,” and “Similarly” help connect information. However, some transitions are mechanical or unclear, and several long sentences join multiple stages with repeated “and,” making comparisons harder to follow. Punctuation also disrupts the flow, for example the missing space after “2007.” and the comma splice in “remained same untill 1977, before falling.” Use shorter, clearly punctuated sentences and more explicit comparisons between countries to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “emissions,” “metric tonnes,” “decreased,” “upward trend,” and “declined,” so the reader can understand the main patterns. There is some variation in how you describe change, but word choice and spelling are not consistently controlled. Phrases such as “increased in a good flow” and “increased significantly about to” are unnatural, while “highest emittors” and “a lowest emittors” use the wrong form or spelling. Capitalisation is also inconsistent in “Carbon dioxide” and “Uk.” Aim for accurate, conventional collocations for describing graphs and check spelling carefully; this would make the vocabulary more precise and natural without requiring more elaborate words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences with time clauses, as in “before falling to around 9 tonnes in 2007.” The main trends are generally understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries remain noticeable. For example, “Italy and Portugal experiences” should use a plural verb, and “Portugal begin” should be in the past tense. Phrases such as “remained same” also need an article, and several sentences run together or use commas where full stops are needed. Practise forming accurate past-tense comparisons and separating each country’s stages into controlled sentences. Greater accuracy in these recurring patterns would make the report easier to read.

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.