Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per person in the UK, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 to 2007.

Overall, the rate of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK were very high in 1967 and in Portugal carbon dioxide emissions were very low in the same year.

In Sweden, carbon dioxide emissions were the second largest amount in 1967 and it was equal to the UK in 1977 and started decreasing in 1987. On the other hand, in Portugal the carbon dioxide emissions rate continuously increased and became equal to Sweden in 2007 but in 1967 Portugal carbon dioxide discharge was very low than the other countries. In Italy, the out flow of carbon dioxide was higher than Portugal and became constant after 1977. The UK was at the highest source of carbon dioxide emissions but it slighly decreased after 1977. The emissions rate of all countries became constant at 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four countries and report several relevant trends, including the UK’s overall decline, Portugal’s steady rise, and Sweden’s fall after its 1977 peak. However, the overview is incomplete and some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear. Sweden did not equal the UK in 1977: its figure was slightly lower. Portugal reached approximately the same level as Sweden only in 2007, which you do note. The claim that emissions in all countries “became constant at 2007” is not supported; the lines show different patterns, and the UK and Portugal were still changing. Italy rose until 1997 and then levelled off, rather than becoming constant after 1977. Select the main turning points and give accurate comparisons to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overall statement, and further comparisons. Linking phrases such as “Overall” and “On the other hand” help signal relationships between ideas. However, the progression is not consistently clear because several countries and trends are combined in long sentences, and the discussion moves back and forth between them. For example, the sentence beginning “In Sweden” shifts to Portugal and then returns to Italy, making the comparisons harder to follow. Some connections are also unclear, particularly the final claim about all countries becoming constant. Organise the body by grouping similar trends—for example, declining or peaking series separately from steadily rising ones—and use clearer references to each country.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “emissions,” “continuously increased,” “decreasing,” and “constant,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts to vary wording, such as “rate” and “discharge.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph: “the second largest amount” is awkward, “out flow of carbon dioxide” is not an appropriate description, and “highest source” confuses emissions with their source. “Very low than” is also an inaccurate comparison. Prefer precise terms such as “level,” “figure,” “peak,” and “decline,” and use standard collocations like “higher than” or “the lowest level.” Check spelling, including “slightly.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “and,” “but,” and “while,” and most of the message remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In the opening, “between 1967 to 2007” uses the wrong preposition pattern; write “between 1967 and 2007.” In “the rate … were very high,” the singular subject requires “was.” The sentence “it was equal to the UK” has an unclear pronoun reference, while “became constant at 2007” uses an unsuitable preposition and time expression. There are also punctuation and spacing slips, such as the extra spaces before “between” and “in Portugal.” Aim for more controlled sentence boundaries and check agreement and prepositions.

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