Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-30

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 illustrates average carbon dioxide emissions per person in the four countries—the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.

Overall, the average carbon dioxide emissions per person in United Kingdom experienced a downward trend, while the average carbon dioxide emissions per person in Italy and Portugal experienced an upward trend. Sweden fluctuated throughout the period.

In 1967, the figure for the United Kingdom was the highest, at around 11 metric tonnes per person.

This number remained relatively stable before declining slightly to 10 metric tonnes in 1987 and then declined markedly to approximately 9 metric tonnes in 2007, while the figure for Sweden increased significantly from 8.5 metric tonnes to 10.2 metric tonnes in a decade before declining to approximately 7 metric tonnes in 1987 and then steadily declined to 5.5 metric tonnes by the end of the period. By contrast, the United Kingdom remained the highest even yhough it decreased throughout the period.

In 1967, Portugal had the lowest level, at around 1 metric tonne before increasing steadily to approximately 3 metric tonnes in a decade and then increased moderately to around 5.5 metric tonnes by the end of the period. Similarly, Italy followed the same pattern, increasing steadily from approximately 4 metric tonnes to around 7 metric tonnes and overtook Sweden in 1987 and then increased slightly to approximately 8 metric tonnes in 2007. Portugal went from having the lowest level to becomin the same level as Sweden by the end of the period, whereas Italy went from third-highest figure to second- highest level.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by providing a clear overview and reporting the main features and comparisons of the four countries over the given period. The student accurately highlights the downward trend in the UK, the upward trends in Italy and Portugal, and the fluctuations in Sweden. Key data points, such as initial and final figures (e.g., the UK starting at around 11 metric tonnes and ending at approximately 9, and Portugal rising from 1 to over 5), are appropriately selected and reported. However, there is a minor omission regarding Sweden's peak in 1977, though the overall trajectory is well captured. The response meets all task requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement, moves to an effective overview paragraph, and then breaks down the specific data details into well-defined body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to link ideas, such as 'while', 'by contrast', 'similarly', and 'whereas'. However, paragraphing could be slightly better structured, as the final body paragraph becomes quite long and dense with multiple comparative clauses, which occasionally makes the flow a bit heavy. Nevertheless, referencing is generally clear throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, successfully employing terms related to trends and changes such as 'downward trend', 'upward trend', 'fluctuated', 'declining markedly', and 'increasing steadily'. Less common items and precision phrases like 'overtook Sweden' and 'second-highest level' are used with some awareness of style. There are occasional vocabulary or spelling inaccuracies, such as the typo 'yhough' instead of 'though' and a missing 'g' in 'becomin', but these do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures effectively (e.g., 'Portugal went from having the lowest level to becoming the same level as Sweden...'). There is good control over punctuation for the most part, though some sentences are overly long and run-on, packed with multiple conjunctions (e.g., the long sentence starting with 'This number remained relatively stable...'). Grammatical accuracy is generally good with a high proportion of error-free sentences, though minor slips like the missing article in 'in United Kingdom' occur.

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