Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-25

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 average carbon dioxide emission per person in four countries ( United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal ) between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, although the carbon emission of the United Kingdom and Sweden was high at first, but it gradually decreased at the end of the period. On contrast , the Italy and Portugal's grew noticeably over the period.

Firstly, United Kingdom's carbon emission was 11 metric tones in 1967, but it gradually decreased below 9 percent till 2007. Similarly, carbon emission of Sweden initially grew for a decade from 8 to above 10 metric tones, but after that it dropped significantly till the end of the period.

On contrast, carbon emission of Italy grew dramatically from 4 metric tones to approximately 8 metric tones between1967 and 2007. Following it, carbon emission of Portugal also grew from 1 to 5 metric tons gradually between 1967 and 1997, and plateaued for a decade.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all four countries and identifies the main trends effectively. You successfully highlighted the contrast between the declining emissions of the UK and Sweden and the rising emissions of Italy and Portugal. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting, such as stating the UK decreased 'below 9 percent' when the unit is metric tonnes, and the description of Sweden's initial growth is slightly imprecise. To reach a higher band, ensure that units are used consistently and that data points are described with greater precision.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs, with a clear introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Firstly', and 'On contrast' to link your points. However, the use of 'On contrast' is slightly unnatural; 'In contrast' or 'Conversely' would be more appropriate. Additionally, some transitions between sentences could be smoother to improve the flow. Overall, the paragraphing is sufficient and the information is presented in a logical sequence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the trends, using terms like 'gradually decreased', 'grew noticeably', and 'plateaued'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'metric tones' (should be 'tonnes') and the awkward phrasing 'below 9 percent' instead of 'below 9 metric tonnes'. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more sophisticated synonyms for 'grew' or 'decreased' and ensuring correct spelling of technical terms would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as the misuse of 'but' after 'although' in the second paragraph, and missing articles (e.g., 'the Italy and Portugal's'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some spacing issues around parentheses. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of subordinating conjunctions will help improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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