Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-12

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 carbon dioxide emissions per person in four countries United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and portugal from 1967 to 2007.

Overall, it is striking that the highest carban emissions were recorded in the United Kingdom, followed by Sweden. In contrast, carbon emissions in Italy and Portugal represented significant growth over the period.

To commence with, the United Kingdom recorded the highest level of carbon emissions throughout the period and showed significant fall, from 11 tonnes to 9 metric tonnes. In addition, Sweden recorded the 9 tonnes carbon emissions in 1967, but in 1977, it rose slightly to just over 10 tonnes, before experiencing a dramatic decline, reaching 5.5 tonnes in 2007.

Furthermore, carbon emissions in the Italy increased significantly, from just over 4 tonnes in 1967 to almost 8 tonnes in 2007, overtook Sweden in the late 1970s and became second-highest emitter among the four countries. A similar trend was observed in Portugal where emissions also increased steadily than other nations. It was increased from almost 1.2 tonnes to 5.5 in 1967 and 2007 respectively and reached the same level of Sweden in end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt by selecting and reporting the main features of the graph while making relevant comparisons. The overview captures the dominant trends, noting that the UK recorded the highest emissions, while Italy and Portugal showed significant growth. Specific details are provided for all four countries, such as the UK's fall from 11 to 9 tonnes and Sweden's decline to 5.5 tonnes by 2007. Key comparative milestones are also highlighted, such as Italy overtaking Sweden in the late 1970s. However, there are minor numerical inaccuracies in the descriptions, such as stating Portugal increased from 1.2 tonnes rather than properly contextualising the start point, but overall, the task is well addressed to satisfy Band 6.5 or Band 7 criteria.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression from an introductory paraphrase to an overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing specific data points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different countries and trends. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, using phrases like 'Overall', 'To commence with', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore'. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or faulty, as seen in awkward transitions like 'To commence with' for a data analysis task, and referencing issues such as 'in the Italy' and 'in end of the period', which slightly detract from the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'illustrates', 'dramatic decline', 'significant growth', and 'steady increase'. There are, however, noticeable lexical and spelling errors that prevent a higher band, including 'carban' instead of 'carbon', 'in the Italy', and missing prepositions or articles. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory dependent clauses effectively, as demonstrated in sentences like '...before experiencing a dramatic decline, reaching 5.5 tonnes in 2007.' Grammatical accuracy is mixed; while many sentences are clear and well-formed, there are several errors, such as missing articles ('the Italy', 'in end of the period') and awkward passive/active transitions ('It was increased from almost 1.2 tonnes'). These errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at Band 6.

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.