Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22
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 given line graph illustrates information about average indiviual carbon dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.
Overall, the information is given in metric tones. Italy and Portugal showed an upward trend, while United kingdom and Sweden declined Carbon dioxide emissions over the span of given time.
Sweden and United kingdom were at a maximum emissions in 1967, which were close to 8.5 for sweden and 11 metric tonnes for United Kingdom. However, Sweden had a sharp increase afterwards and climbed to almost 11 in year 1977, and than following a sharp decline to approximately 5 in year 2007. On the other side, United Kingdom experienced steady decline to almost 9 in 2007.
On the other side, although Italy and Portugal started at different emissions levels, nearly 1 for Portugal and slightly above 4 metric tonnes for Italy, However they both share a similar upward trend. Italy reached its hightest emissions in 2007, close to 8 metric tonnes, while Portugal following same hype reached close to 6 in 2007.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The student covers all parts of the task well, selecting and reporting the main features of the chart with appropriate comparisons. An overview is provided, correctly identifying the two divergent trends (upward for Italy and Portugal, downward for the UK and Sweden). Key data points are cited, such as UK starting at around 11 metric tonnes and Sweden peaking in 1977. However, there are minor inaccuracies in some readings (e.g., stating Sweden was close to 8.5 in 1967 when it was around 8.6, and a few awkward expressions in data reporting). Overall, the response effectively satisfies the requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 6.5 to 7 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall arrangement with logical paragraphing, separating the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to different country groupings. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions and comparisons, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'On the other side'. However, referencing and transitions are at times repetitive or slightly mechanical, particularly the repeated use of 'On the other side' to introduce contrasting points. Paragraphing is adequate, but logical progression could be smoother. These features align well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'upward trend', 'sharp increase', and 'steady decline'. However, there are noticeable word choice and spelling inaccuracies, such as 'indiviual' instead of 'individual', 'tones' instead of 'tonnes', and 'hype' instead of perhaps 'trend' or 'trajectory'. Furthermore, 'United kingdom' contains capitalization errors. While communication is not impeded, these lexical errors and occasional awkward collocations limit the score to a Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases. However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text, including tense and preposition slip-ups, such as 'declined Carbon dioxide emissions' (missing preposition 'in'), 'than following a sharp decline' ('then' misspelled and awkward participial clause), and 'Portugal following same hype reached' (missing article and verb). Punctuation and sentence structures occasionally lead to minor readability issues. These patterns reflect Band 6 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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