Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-28

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 6.5)

The given line chart depicts average carbon dioxide emission of a person in the UK , Sweden , Italy and Portugal in time period of 1967 to 2007 . The data has been calibrated into tones.

Overall, it is crystal clear that United Kingdom had faced the highest emission, whereas Sweden and Portugal meeting at the same lowest point in the latter year.

At a fleeting glance, UK was highest in the former year and throughout the time period . It was nearly 11 in the former year , that slightly declined to 10 in 1987 then keeps on decreasing and came to a point approximately to 9 in the last year. Secondly, Sweden facing around 8 , more than 10 in 1967 and 1977 respectively that suddenly declined to 7 in 1987 which keeps on lowing and came to more than 5 in 2007.

Moving ahead, Italy was more than 4 in the former year which slightly increased higher to 6 and lower to 8 in between 1977 to 1997 that did not surpass in the last year . Where Portugal was the lowest as compared to all , but it was increasing in the inclining rate from first year to the last . It was more than 1 , 2 , around 3 , 5 and 5 in 1967,1977,1987,1997 and 2007 orderly.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.5
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the graph, including the trends for all four countries. You successfully identified the UK as the highest emitter and Portugal as the lowest, while noting the overall downward trend for most countries. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by inaccurate data reporting. For example, you state Sweden was 'more than 10 in 1967', whereas the graph shows it was below 10. Additionally, the description of Italy's trend is somewhat confusingly phrased. To improve, ensure that your data points are precisely read from the graph and that comparisons are clearly linked to the specific years mentioned.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'At a fleeting glance', and 'Moving ahead' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'orderly' at the end of the final paragraph, which does not function well as a cohesive device. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different trends. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'it', 'that') clearly points back to the intended noun.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'calibrated', 'surpass', and 'declined'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'keeps on lowing' (should be 'decreasing') and 'in the inclining rate'. The phrase 'calibrated into tones' is also incorrect; the unit is 'tonnes'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band. Focus on learning the correct collocations for describing trends, such as 'a steady decline' or 'a significant increase'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('in time period', 'in last year'), incorrect verb forms ('Sweden facing', 'keeps on lowing'), and punctuation issues. Some sentences are slightly disjointed, which affects the overall flow. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, they are frequent enough to limit the score. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles when referring to specific time periods or data points.

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