Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-17
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 graph present the emissions of carbon-dioxide gas as per person in few countries, which are United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal, from 1967 to 2007.
In brief, emission of carbon-dioxide was mesuared in metric tons. It was obious that, two countries (United kingdom, Sweden) showed a downward trend over the year. On the opposite, two other countries (Italy, Portugal) followed an upward trend.
To begin with, United Kingdom carbon emmition was highest in 1967, almost 10.5 metric tonnes CO2 was estimated that year, taking the first positon. Over the year, it gradually went down, reaching 8.5 metric tonnes in 2007 still being on the top. Furthermore, Sweden was at 8.5metric tonnes in 1967. But in 1977, it sharply went over 10 metric tonnes, before falling to near 6metric tonnes in 2007.
On the contrary, Portugal had the lowest carbon emission rate in 1967, which was less than 2 metric tonnes. But throwout the years, it gradually went up reaching to Sweden's carbon rate in 2007. Moreover, Italy's carbon emission per person was counted less than 5 metric tonnes in 1967, which went to almost 8 metric tonnes in 2007.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The candidate successfully covers all parts of the task by identifying the main trends and making relevant comparisons among the four countries over the 40-year period. The overview correctly highlights the major distinction between the downward trends in the UK and Sweden and the upward trends in Italy and Portugal. Key data points, such as the UK starting highest at approximately 10.8 metric tonnes and falling to 8.7 in 2007, are accurately reported alongside general trajectory descriptions. While some figures are approximate (e.g. stating 'almost 10.5' instead of 10.8), they are well within acceptable tolerance for visual data tasks and do not detract from the clear overview and accurate feature selection.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific country trends. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'In brief', 'To begin with', and 'On the contrary'. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, ensuring each group of countries is discussed separately. However, referencing and transitional flow could be slightly more polished to avoid a somewhat formulaic feel, and occasional mechanical transitions occur, which places this response comfortably in the Band 6 to 7 range.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, including topic-specific terms such as 'emissions', 'carbon-dioxide', 'metric tonnes', and 'downward trend'. There are attempts at less common vocabulary ('gradually went down', 'sharply went over'). However, spelling and word formation errors are noticeable throughout the text, including 'present' instead of 'presents', 'mesuared', 'obious', 'emmition', and 'positon'. Furthermore, expressions like 'carbon rate' instead of 'emission rate' represent minor collocation lapses that prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating introductory clauses and relative structures (e.g., 'which are United Kingdom...', 'Portugal had the lowest carbon emission rate in 1967, which was less than 2 metric tonnes'). Grammatical control is mixed; while meaning is rarely impeded, there are several persistent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The graph present'), missing articles ('in few countries'), prepositional errors ('as per person'), and spelling/typographical slips ('throwout' instead of 'throughout'). Despite these inaccuracies, a sufficient variety of structures is attempted to secure a solid 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.