Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-23

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 horizontal axis of the graph represents the year 1967 to 2007 and the vertical axis represents the carbon dioxide emissions per person over time.

From the graph we can understand that the united kingdom emitted more than 10 mettric tonnes of co2 in 1967 which is the highest among the otheer three countries. On the other hand, portugal emmited less than 2 metric tonnes in the same year and it was the lowest. Sweden and italy were positioned between the uk and potugal with more than 8 and more than 4 metric tonnes respectedly.

Although the UK emmited the most amount of co2 in the 60s, they somewhat controlled the emission throughout the years. On the other hand, portugal having the lowest emission rate in the 60s, they could not control it and the graph shows an upward trend. Additionally, sweden shows an upward trend from 60s to 70s, they managed to slow down the rate and the graph shows a drastic downward trend from the 70s to 2007. Italy could not control the rate as the uk and sweden. rather, it followed portugal's path.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important features accurately: the UK is highest and Portugal lowest in 1967, Sweden rises before falling, and Italy and Portugal generally increase. The response also makes relevant comparisons between the countries. However, the overview is not sufficiently precise about the final pattern: by 2007 the UK remains highest, Italy has levelled off at about 7.6 tonnes, and Sweden and Portugal finish at roughly the same level. The claim that the UK “controlled” emissions and that Sweden “managed to slow down the rate” interprets causes or intentions that the graph cannot establish. Develop the summary by reporting the main overall trends and key turning points more objectively, with a few supporting figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: it introduces the axes, describes the starting positions, and then discusses changes over time. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “Additionally” help signal comparisons, and the ideas are generally easy to follow. However, the first paragraph focuses on the initial year while the later paragraph groups several different trends together, so the progression is not always smooth. Some references are also unclear, particularly “they” in the sentence about the UK, where it could refer to the country or its emissions. Organise the body around the overall trends or country groups, and use clearer references and transitions to make the comparisons more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “emissions,” “upward trend,” “downward trend,” and “metric tonnes.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and you attempt to describe changes rather than simply list figures. Some wording is imprecise or unnatural, however: “controlled the emission” suggests deliberate action, while “followed Portugal’s path” is vague. There are also spelling errors such as “mettric,” “otheer,” and “emmited,” alongside inconsistent capitalisation of country names and CO2. Choose neutral graph-description language, such as “declined steadily” or “followed a similar upward pattern,” and proofread spelling and proper nouns.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Although” and “which,” and the overall meaning is usually clear. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the year 1967 to 2007” needs a plural or range construction, and “Sweden and Italy were positioned … with more than 8 and more than 4 metric tonnes respectively” has an awkward structure. In “Portugal having the lowest emission rate …, they could not control it,” the opening phrase does not connect cleanly to the main clause, and the pronoun reference is unclear. There are also punctuation and capitalisation problems, including the lower-case “rather” after a full stop. Practise accurate complex clauses and check sentence boundaries and agreement.

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