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 Line Graph illustrates the average amount of carbon dioxide (CO²) emitted per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, the UK had the largest level of CO² emission per person throughout the period. Although it's figure declined gradually. In contract, emission in Italy and Portugal increased considerably. Sweden had experienced a different trend, with emission rising initially, before falling significantly.

In 1967, People in the United Kingdom produced approximately 10.8, metric tonnes per person, compared with about 8.7 tonnes, in Sweden. The figure for Italy was considerably lower, about 4.2 tonnes, per person while Portugal recorded only about 1.2 tonnes, per person. By 1977, Swedish has reached a peak of just over 10 tonnes, whareas the emissions of Italy and Portugal had rising to approximately 6.3 tonnes and 2 tonnes respectively.

Fron 1977 onwards, Swedish figure fell sharply to about 5 metric tonnes in 1987 and then continued to declines, reaching about 5.5 tonnes in 2007. Meanwhile, the Italy emissions increased considerably about 7.6 tonnes approximately in 1997 moreover the Portugal rose substainaly, reaching about 5.4, in 2007. The UK emissions declined gradually to around about 8.5 tonnes in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task by presenting an overview and reporting the main features with relevant comparisons. The introduction correctly identifies the visual type and subject, and the overview highlights the main trends effectively. However, some parts are more fully developed than others, and certain details are slightly imprecise. For instance, the student states that Sweden had reached a peak in 1977 of 'just over 10 tonnes', whereas the data indicates 10.3 tonnes, and some final data points contain minor inaccuracies like 'around about 8.5 tonnes' instead of 8.7 for the UK. The selection of data is generally good, but the development of individual trends leans towards listing numbers rather than fully synthesising the comparative insights, reflecting the performance expected at this level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the introduction to the overview and body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different periods and country trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'respectively' are employed to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen in awkward transitional phrasing like 'Fron 1977 onwards, Swedish figure...' and 'moreover the Portugal rose substainaly'. While the structure holds together reasonably well, these lapses prevent the response from achieving a higher level of cohesive flow and sophistication.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less-common items and analytical verbs such as 'emitted', 'declined gradually', 'increased considerably', and 'fluctuated'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that occur throughout the text, including 'contract' instead of 'contrast', 'substainaly' instead of 'substantially', and 'Swedish figure' instead of 'Sweden's figure'. Additionally, phrasing such as 'largest level of CO² emission' is somewhat unnatural compared to 'highest level'. These minor lexical inaccuracies do not impede communication, but they restrict the score because they show limited precision and control over word forms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting various subordinate clauses and comparative forms. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly involving subject-verb agreement, article use, and prepositional phrases within grammatical patterns. Examples include 'it's figure declined' (incorrect use of the contracted possessive/pronoun), 'Swedish has reached a peak' (incorrect verb form), 'the Italy emissions' (unnecessary article with a country name), and punctuation errors around metric quantities such as missing units or awkward comma placement ('approximately 10.8, metric tonnes'). While these errors rarely impede communication and the basic meaning remains clear, they are frequent enough to place the grammatical performance within this bracket.

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