Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-02

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 6.5)

The graph illustrated the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a single person in four different countries from 1967 to 2007.

Overall, the rate of carbon emission gradually decreased in the United kingdom and Sweden, while in Italy and Portugal the number increased over the period. From year 1967 to 2007 the people of Sweden became more careful about their carbon emission compare to the other three countries and the emission rate in the United kingdom always stayed in the highest position.

A single individuals of the United kingdom thrown out almost 11 metric tonnes carbon dioxide in 1967 ,but it gradually went down over the time and finally in 2007 it reached the value nearly 9 metric tonnes . However in each year the value for this country always remained in top position. Similarly , Swedes people decreased their carbon emission over the time . Though, in 1977 it slightly increased to nearly 10 metric tonnes from 8 metric tonnes, it steadily went down by approximately 5 metric tonnes in 2007.

On the contrary, carbon dioxide emission rate in Italy and Portugal increased by nearly 3 metric tonnes and 4 metric tonnes until 1997 and after that the value stayed constant till 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You provide a clear overview of the contrasting trends: emissions fell in the UK and Sweden, while they rose in Italy and Portugal, and you correctly identify the UK as the highest throughout. The country descriptions are generally supported with relevant figures, including the UK’s fall from almost 11 to about 9 tonnes and Sweden’s rise before its subsequent decline. However, the final comparison is imprecise: Italy and Portugal did not both remain constant after 1997. Italy levelled off at about 7.6 tonnes, whereas Portugal continued to rise to roughly 5.4 tonnes by 2007. Also, saying Swedes became “more careful” assigns a cause or intention that the graph cannot establish. Keep the overview factual and distinguish the two countries’ later trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a clear introduction, overview and two detail paragraphs. Its progression from the overall pattern to the UK and Sweden, then to Italy and Portugal, makes the information easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Similarly” and “On the contrary” help signal relationships between ideas, and the country groupings are logical. Some connections are less precise than the organisation suggests: “On the contrary” is not quite the right contrast marker for introducing two rising trends, and the final sentence compresses both countries into one claim despite their different movements after 1997. More carefully matched transitions and separate reporting of Italy and Portugal’s figures would make the progression more consistently clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “emission,” “metric tonnes,” “gradually decreased” and “steadily went down,” so the main trends are understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “remained in top position.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “thrown out” is unsuitable for describing emissions, “a single individuals” is not a natural phrase, and “the number increased” is vague when referring to an emissions rate. “Carbon emission” is also repeated, and “more careful” is an unsupported interpretation rather than a precise description of the data. Use standard collocations such as “emitted per person” and vary these with “per-capita emissions” or “emissions level.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a contrast clause beginning “Though, in 1977…” and a time clause in “after that the value stayed constant.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “A single individuals” has a number-agreement problem, and “the emission rate … stayed in the highest position” has an awkwardly formed comparison. In “from 8 metric tonnes, it steadily went down,” the pronoun reference is unclear, while punctuation spacing is inconsistent around commas. The sentence beginning “Though” also needs more controlled punctuation and clause structure. Aim for accurate subject–verb and singular/plural agreement, and check that each pronoun clearly refers to a country’s emissions or value.

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