Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-13

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 4.5)

The carbon dioxide emissions in 1967 per person in united sate was 11 but in sweden the CO2 emission was 8.5. As same as in italy, the emission was 4.1. Also in portugal, the emission was 1.6. After 10 years,the carbon dioxide emissions in united state was 10.4. The emission in 1977, in sweden, affects per person was 10.2 but in italy, the effect of emission was 6.2. As same as, in portugal, the emission effect per person was 2. After 10 years, the emission of carbon dioxide in united state was 10. But in sweden,the effect was 7. In italy, the emission effect was also 7. In portugal, the effect of carbon dioxide emission was 3.8. In 2007, the effect of emissions of carbon dioxide was 7 in united state, 5 in sweden, 7.9 in italy and in portugal the amount of emission who was effetced per person was 5

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the topic and report several country figures, including the UK’s high starting level and Portugal’s low starting level. However, the response mainly lists selected values rather than summarising the graph’s key features. There is no clear overview of the overall patterns: UK emissions declined, Sweden rose to a peak and then fell, while Italy and Portugal generally increased. Some figures are also inaccurate or incomplete: for example, the UK is about 8.7 tonnes in 2007, not 7, and Italy is about 7.6, not 7.9. The 1997 data are omitted, and the final comparison does not clearly identify the countries. Group the main trends and give accurate, representative figures to make the report more informative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows a basic chronological order, moving from 1967 to later years, and uses time markers such as “After 10 years” and “In 2007” to signal changes. This gives the reader some sense of sequence. However, the information is presented as one continuous block, with no clear paragraphing or overview, and the repeated country-by-country listing makes progression mechanical. Connectors such as “As same as” and repeated “but” do not always show the intended relationship clearly. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and one or two detail paragraphs grouped by trends—for example, declining emissions versus rising emissions. Use linking phrases selectively to make comparisons explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “carbon dioxide emissions,” “per person,” and “emission,” so the subject is generally recognisable. However, the vocabulary is basic and repetitive, with “emission” and “effect” used repeatedly where more precise terms are needed. Phrases such as “the effect of emission” and “the amount of emission who was effetced” are unclear or unnatural, and “united sate” is an inaccurate spelling of the country name. Use standard chart language such as “emissions stood at,” “rose to,” “fell to,” and “per capita.” Also vary the wording carefully: “level” or “figure” can replace repeated uses of “emission” when referring to a value.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Most sentences use a simple past-tense pattern, and the reader can often understand the intended comparisons. However, the range of sentence structures is narrow, and recurring errors affect clarity. For example, “the carbon dioxide emissions … was” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “As same as in italy” is not a complete or correctly formed comparison. Several sentences join contrasting information with “but” without clear punctuation, and spacing after commas is inconsistent. Practise accurate comparative structures such as “The UK figure fell from … to …, whereas Italy’s rose.” Check agreement, articles, capitalisation, and sentence boundaries when editing, and use a few controlled complex sentences rather than repeating the same pattern.

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