Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-03

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 line graph illustrates average emissions of carbondioxide per person in four countries over the period of four years from 1967 to 2007.

Overall, CO2 emissions in Portugal and Italy increased significantly. Whereas, in UK, these emissions decreased gradually. However, Sweden showed a fall in CO2 emission with certain fluctuations over the period.

In 1967, Portugal emitted around 3 metric tonnes of carbondixide per person. Moreover, this figure rose gradually to about 3.5 metric tone in 1987 which futher increased to about 5 metric tone by 1997. Additionally, this figure then stood at almost same level by 2007. Meanwhile, Italy also showed a considerable rise in CO2 emission from approximately 4.5 metric tone in 1967 to about 7 metric tone in 2007 with some fluctuations between the period.

In contrast, the emissions in UK declined slighty from around 11 metric tone in 1967 to about 8 metric tone in 2007. However, Sweden showed a sharp increase in CO2 emission from around 8.5 metric tone to about 10.1 metric tone in first 10 years which then dropped dramatically before gradually decreasing to approximately 5 metric tone in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the line graph, providing an overall summary and making relevant comparisons. For example, the student successfully contrasts the upward trends in Portugal and Italy with the downward trajectory in the United Kingdom. However, some parts are more fully developed than others, and a few data points contain minor inaccuracies, such as misstating Portugal's starting point at around 3 metric tonnes instead of the actual 1.2 metric tonnes. While the key trends are identified, some of the specific figures lack precision, placing this response firmly in the middle band where relevant ideas are present but certain details remain under-developed or imprecise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific country trends. Logical progression is established through transitional markers such as 'Overall', 'In 1967', 'In contrast', and 'Meanwhile'. However, cohesion can sometimes feel a bit mechanical, and referencing between sentences occasionally falters, such as the slightly disjointed transition into Sweden's detailed fluctuations. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the groups of countries, but greater flexibility and smoother links between sentences would be needed to elevate the organizational structure to the next level.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to graph description such as 'fluctuations', 'considerable rise', and 'declined slightly'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice errors that occur throughout the response, including 'carbondioxide' written as one word, and repeated misspellings of 'metric tone' instead of 'metric tonnes'. Additionally, phrases like 'stood at almost same level' lack the necessary article. These vocabulary and spelling inaccuracies do not impede overall communication, but they prevent the lexical score from reaching higher tiers.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like subordinate clauses and time markers effectively (e.g., 'Sweden showed a sharp increase... which then dropped dramatically'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('in UK', 'at almost same level') and occasional awkward prepositional phrasing ('between the period' instead of 'over the period'). Nevertheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the intended comparisons easily. To achieve a higher band, the writer would need to demonstrate a wider variety of error-free complex structures.

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