Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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 line graph gives information about the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007. Units are measured in metric tonnes.

Overall, the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of the Italy and Portugal showed a steady but significant rise over the period, while the percentage of  carbon dioxide (CO2) in the United Kingdom experienced a downward trend.

To begin with, regarding United Kingdom, the carbon dioxide emissions stayed around at 11 metric tonnes in 1967. After the next 20 years, emissions declined slightly to approximately 10 metric tonnes in 1987. Over the following 20 years, emissions decreased modestly to nearly 9 metric tonnes in 2007. Moving on to Sweden, carbon dioxide emissions stayed at around 8.6 metric tonnes in 1967. Over the next 10 years, emissions rocketed sharply around to 10.3 metric tonnes in 1977. After that, emissions dropped dramatically approximately to 7 metric tonnes in 1987. After the next 20 years, emissions dipped modestly to 5.3 metric tonnes in 2007.

Moving on to Italy, carbon dioxide emissions stayed at around 4.2 metric tonnes in 1967. Over the next 30 years, emissions increased steadily to reach around 7.8 metric tonnes in 1997. After that, the emissions remained stable at roughly 7.8 metric tonnes up to 2007. Finally, regarding Portugal, carbon dioxide emissions stayed at a low level of around 1.2 metric tonnes in 1967. Over the next 30 years, emissions grew continuously to reach approximately 5.3 metric tonnes in 1997. After that, the emissions leveled off and reached around 5.5 metric tonnes by 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main trends and making relevant comparisons across the four countries over the given time period. An overview is provided, noting the upward trend in Italy and Portugal and the downward trend in the UK. The figures reported, such as the UK starting at 10.8 and ending at 8.7, and Sweden peaking at 10.3 in 1977, generally align well with the visual data. Key features are selected accurately, and the response satisfies all requirements of Task 1 without any notable omissions. However, the overview contains a minor unnatural phrasing ('the percentage of carbon dioxide') which slightly detracts from precision, but overall the task is well addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph and an overview, followed by well-structured body paragraphs dedicated to individual countries. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moving on to', and 'After that' are used to guide the reader through the data, although some connectors feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information. While referencing is generally clear, smoother transitions between comparisons would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, using terms like 'fluctuated', 'declined slightly', 'rocketed sharply', and 'leveled off'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary. However, there are a few inaccuracies and unnatural collocations, such as 'stayed around at' and 'percentage of carbon dioxide' (since emissions are measured in metric tonnes rather than percentages). Despite these minor errors, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the precise movements of the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response incorporates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures with frequent error-free sentences. Examples such as 'Over the next 10 years, emissions rocketed sharply around to 10.3 metric tonnes' demonstrate good control over past tense narrative structures for data. Grammatical errors are relatively infrequent; minor awkwardness includes prepositions like 'around to' and 'approximately to'. Punctuation is generally sound, and sentence forms are varied enough to ensure readability and clear communication of the chronological data.

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