Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-09

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 tracks the mean carbon emission per person in the UK, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.

Overall, the UK underwent a consistent and robust upward tend throughout the given timeframe and Portugal accounted for the smallest share. However, Italy and Sweden experienced major fluctuations over the period.

Initially, a modest decline was recorded in the UK from 10 metric tonnes in 1967 to 8.4 metric tonnes in 2007, but still made up the largest share as compared to other countries. In contrast, Portugal contributed least in carbon emission, but experienced substantial growth from 1.7 metric tonnes in 1967 to 5.7 metric tonnes in 2000.

Moving further, Sweden stood at 8.9 metric tonnes and Italy remained at 4.2 metric tonnes in 1967, but carbon emission in Sweden declined significantly and reached at 5.7 metric tonnes in 2007. On the other hand, pollution in Italy grew steadily and reached at 7.9 metric tonnes in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the four countries and give an overview, but the account only partially captures the main trends, which limits its coverage of the graph. Most importantly, the overview says the UK had an “upward” trend, whereas its emissions declined overall; it also describes Italy and Sweden as fluctuating, although Italy rose steadily before levelling off and Sweden peaked in 1977 then fell. Several figures are inaccurate: Portugal began at about 1.2, not 1.7, and reached about 5.4 by 2007, not 5.7 in 2000. The UK remained highest, while Italy overtook Sweden. Report these defining comparisons accurately and distinguish the countries’ different patterns to develop the summary more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing country data. Linking expressions such as “In contrast” and “On the other hand” help signal comparisons, and the reader can follow the broad sequence. However, some connections are not logically precise: the overview groups Italy and Sweden as having “major fluctuations,” while the body describes Italy as growing steadily. “Moving further” is also an awkward transition, and the final paragraph would be clearer if it compared the countries’ changing positions directly. Use transitions that reflect the actual trends, and organise the details around meaningful contrasts—for example, declining emissions in the UK and Sweden versus rising emissions in Italy and Portugal.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a reasonably varied range for describing a graph, including “modest decline,” “substantial growth,” “stood at,” and “grew steadily.” These choices show an attempt to move beyond basic vocabulary, and the meaning is generally clear. Some collocations and word choices are less natural or imprecise: “carbon emission” is better expressed as “carbon emissions,” “accounted for the smallest share” does not accurately describe per-person figures, and “robust upward tend” is both unsuitable for the data and incorrectly formed. “Pollution in Italy” also changes the graph’s specific measure from emissions per person to pollution more generally. Choose precise terms tied to the chart and use natural collocations to make the description more fluent and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

There is a useful mix of sentence forms, including complex comparisons introduced by “but” and “while,” and most sentences communicate their intended meaning. The opening sentence and the sentence beginning “In contrast” are generally controlled. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in verb forms and sentence construction. In “the UK underwent a consistent and robust upward tend,” the noun form should be “trend”; in “reached at 5.7,” the verb should not take “at.” The sentence beginning “Initially” also has an unclear structure after the comma: “but still made up” lacks a clear subject. Aim to make the subject explicit in each clause and check verb patterns and sentence boundaries; this would improve accuracy while preserving your range.

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