Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-25

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 illustrates average carbon dioxide emissions per individual in the United kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between [redacted phone]. Carbon dioxide is measured in metric tonnes.

Overall, it is shown that United kingdom exprienced the highest number of carbon dioxide emissions while Portugal had the lowest amount of Carbon dioxide emissions within the years. Futhermore, Sweden started off on an increase amount of carbon dioxide emissions but had a significant drop across the years also both sweden and portugal emitted the same amount of Carbon dioxide in 2007

In 1967, roughly 11 tonnes of Carbon dioxide in the United kingdom was emitted per person, then along the years it gradually decreased to approximately 9 tonnes. Sweden had a gradual increase from 8.59 tonnes and reached a peak in 1977 at 10.05 tonnes of carbon dioxide surprisingly it had a dramatical fall to about 5.6 tonnes of emitted carbon dioxide in 2007.

Italy Continuously saw a steady increase along the years. It had a rise from about 4.02 tonnes to 7.8 tonnes between 1957 to 2007. Portugal emitted the lowest amount of Carbon dioxide in 1967 around 1 tonnes to 5 tonnes in 1997 then flatten off to 2007.

Overall, both sweden and portugal emitted the same amount of Carbon dioxide in 2007

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student covers the main features of the graph well, providing an overview and selecting key data points to report and compare across the four countries. The overview correctly identifies that the UK had the highest emissions and Portugal the lowest, and notes the convergence between Sweden and Portugal in 2007. However, there is a minor inaccuracy in the introduction regarding the end year of the period (stating 2000 instead of 2007) and some slight misreadings of specific data values, such as Portugal's starting point and end point. Despite these minor discrepancies, all parts of the task are addressed with relevant comparisons, fulfilling the criteria for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 range. We award Band 6.5 due to the minor data inaccuracies and the slight error in the timeline mentioned in the introduction.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for specific countries. There is a logical progression overall, moving from a general summary to specific details. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, particularly with the overuse of transitional phrases like 'Overall' (used twice) and 'In 1967'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the final sentence stands alone as a repetitive single-sentence paragraph ('Overall, both sweden and portugal emitted the same amount of Carbon dioxide in 2007'), which disrupts the flow and cohesion of the essay. Referencing and cohesive devices are generally adequate but lack flexibility. These features place the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'emissions', 'gradually decreased', 'peak', and 'dramatical fall'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'exprienced' instead of 'experienced', 'Futhermore', 'dramatical' instead of 'dramatic', and 'flatten off' used somewhat informally. Capitalization errors also occur ('United kingdom', 'sweden'). While less common vocabulary is attempted with some success, these inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band. The lexical range is sufficient to communicate the main ideas clearly, matching the descriptors for Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Sweden started off on an increase amount of carbon dioxide emissions but had a significant drop across the years'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout, including 'an increase amount' instead of 'an increasing amount', missing articles ('in 1967 around 1 tonnes'), and punctuation issues. However, the errors do not impede overall communication, and the reader can easily follow the trends described. The control of grammar and punctuation is inconsistent, with frequent minor slips, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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