Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-16

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 provided line graph illustrates the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in metric tonnes from 1967 to 2007 in four European countries.

Overall, the United Kingdom and Sweden started with a higher level of emissions in 1967 compared to the other two countries, but while the formers reported a decrease over time, Italy and Portugal had registered an emission decrease by 2007. In additon, Sweden and Portugal shared the same amount of emissions in 2007.

Sweden witnessed a peak of emissions in 1977 with just over 10 metric tonnes, subsequently, by 2007, a substantial dwindle had been seen of almost 5 metric tonnes. Similarly, the United Kingdom had reported a slight decrease over time of about 2 metric tonnes, but in the end, it was still the country with the greater amount of emissions, with around 9 metric tonnes.

Italy and Portugal both followed a similar pattern, during the 40-year period, with a rise of approximately 4 metric tonnes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and highlighting key trends and comparisons across the four countries. The main features are accurately identified: the UK and Sweden started with higher emissions, while Italy and Portugal saw increases over the 40-year period. However, there is a minor contradiction in the overview where the student states that Italy and Portugal 'had registered an emission decrease by 2007', whereas the data clearly shows an upward trend for both countries. Despite this slip, the overall response is well-developed, comparing starting and ending points and noting significant peaks such as Sweden's in 1977.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph, followed by a well-defined overview, and then separates the body of the essay by grouping countries based on their trajectories. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall', 'In addition', and 'Similarly'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas and groupings. Referencing is generally clear, though paragraph four is somewhat abrupt and could be better linked to the preceding information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, using less common items such as 'substantial dwindle', 'metric tonnes', and 'pattern'. There are some awkward or inaccurate word choices, such as 'the formers' (instead of 'the former') and stating that Italy and Portugal had registered an 'emission decrease' when they actually increased. Spelling is accurate, and the lexical choices do not impede communication, but occasional slips in collocation and precision prevent a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

A mix of simple and complex sentence structures is used throughout the response, including compound-complex sentences like 'while the formers reported a decrease over time, Italy and Portugal had registered...' Grammatical control is generally decent, but there are notable errors, such as the incorrect use of 'formers' instead of 'the former', a comma splice in the third paragraph ('...in 1977 with just over 10 metric tonnes, subsequently, by 2007...'), and tense confusion with the past perfect ('had registered'). These errors occasionally cause slight awkwardness, but communication is never impeded.

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