Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-06

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 multi line graph demonstrates the mean of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by a single individual in the four different countries for four decades within the given time frames from 1967 to 2007.

From the graph one can determine that portugal and Italy has similar incline trend. Portugal and Italy average carbon dioxide emission were stood at just below the 2 metric tonnes and just above the 4 metric tonnes in 1967, respectively. Then, it went up in 1977 and marked at approximately 2.3 metric tonnes and 6.2 metric tonnes, respectively. In the next 20 years, both were gradually inclined before gaining the stability in 1997. In 1997, they were noted at 5.3 metric tonnes for portugal and 7.8 metric tonnes for Italy followed by little fluctuation. lastly, it accounted at 7.8 metric tonnes for Italy and 5.6 metric tonnes for portugal in 2007.

There was consistently decline trend in United Kingdom for carbon dioxide emission as, 10.5 metric tonnes in 1967, 10.4 metric tonnes in 1977, 10 metric tonnes in 1987, 9 metric tonnes in 1997 and 8.6 metric tonnes in 2007. Furthermore, Sweden maximum peaked at just above the 10 metric tonnes in 1977 and maximum dropped to 5.6 metric tonnes in 2007.

Overall, It can be seen that Portugal and Italy had inclined trend, whereas Sweden and United kingdom had declined trend throughout the given time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four countries over the given time period. The overview correctly highlights the contrasting trends between Portugal and Italy versus Sweden and the UK. However, some data points are slightly inaccurate, such as stating that Italy accounted at 7.8 metric tonnes in both 1997 and 2007 when the chart shows it remained flat around 7.6, and some details are under-developed. To reach a higher band, the reporting of data needs to be consistently precise and all key trends fully supported with accurate figures from the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs divided by country groupings, and an overview conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related information. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, such as the abrupt transitions between sentences and the somewhat repetitive phrasing used to introduce data points (e.g., 'Then, it went up...'). Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression between some points within paragraphs could be smoother. To achieve a higher band, the use of cohesive devices needs to be more flexible and natural rather than formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate main trends and figures clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary and lexical chunks such as 'similar incline trend' and 'little fluctuation'. However, there are notable word choice and word formation inaccuracies, such as 'portugal and Italy has similar incline trend' (instead of an upward or increasing trend), 'gradually inclined' (instead of increased gradually), and 'consistently decline trend' (instead of consistent downward trend). Spelling and capitalization errors also occur, such as failing to capitalize 'Portugal'. These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a mid-level lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to vary sentence structures. There are, however, frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('portugal and Italy has'), awkward passive/active confusions ('emission were stood at', 'it accounted at', 'Sweden maximum peaked'), and missing articles. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they are noticeable and persistent throughout the text. To reach a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate better control over verb forms, prepositions in grammatical patterns, and sentence construction accuracy.

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

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