Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-21
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 compares the data regarding average carbon dioxide emissions per person in four European countries (United kingdom, Italy, Sweden and Portugal) from 1967 to 2007.
Overall, Portugal and Italy had lowest emission of carbon dioxide and they experienced an upward trend while other two countries decreased their carbon footprints over the years.
It is clearly visible in the graph that Portugal was the lowest carbon emission per person in 1967 however, their experienced a rapid increase until 1997 with just under 6 metric tonnes of CO2. Contrary United kingdom recorded highest figure around 11 metric tonnes in the starting year and they reduced their carbon dioxide emission per person just under 7.
On the other hand Italy also rose over the years starting from the second lowest in the four countries and reached to the second highest with just below 8 over the years. In contrast, Sweden skyrocketed their carbon foot-prints in the starting 10 years before experiencing a significant decline and reached all time lowest in 2007 just over 5 sharing same carbon emission per person with Portugal.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response covers all key features of the graph, including the initial values, trends, and final data points. You successfully identified the main trends: the downward trajectory of the UK and Sweden versus the upward trend of Portugal and Italy. However, the description of the data could be more precise. For example, stating that Sweden 'skyrocketed' is a good use of descriptive language, but the comparison between the countries could be more clearly structured to highlight the convergence of values in 2007. The overview is clear and effectively summarizes the main differences between the two groups of countries.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'on the other hand' and 'in contrast' to signal shifts in focus. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Contrary United kingdom recorded'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect the trends more fluidly. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different groups of countries.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'upward trend', 'carbon footprints', and 'significant decline'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'lowest emission of carbon dioxide' (should be 'the lowest') and 'their experienced a rapid increase' (grammatically incorrect). While you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, some phrasing is slightly unnatural. Improving the precision of your collocations will help you reach a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as missing articles ('the lowest'), subject-verb agreement issues ('Portugal was the lowest carbon emission'—a person cannot be an emission), and awkward phrasing ('Contrary United kingdom recorded'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on proofreading for basic sentence structure and article usage would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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