Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-07
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 5.5)
The line graph illustrates the average consumption of United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal for the carbon dioxide Co2 usage per person in the year 1967 and 2007.
Overall, the line graph depicts the fluctuating trends since 1967 to 2007 for the carbon dioxide emissions. United Kingdom has the highest Co2 emission in the year 1967, followed by Sweden in the year 1977 and the lowest country who has the least record of carbon dioxide emission is Portugal.
Furthermore, United Kingdom records a 12 percent of carbon dioxide emission per person for the year 1967 and it began to decline every decade until it reached the lowest record of Co2 usage in the year 2007 with approximately eight percent. Sweden shows that in the year 1977 their trend of using Co2 emission rose for almost three percent and began to be decreased for nearly five percent after a decade and continue to decline and reached its lowest for 5 percent of using Co2.
On the other hand, Italy and Portugal are in almost the same trends. They have their lowest average of usage of Co2 emission per person in the year 1967. It shows that Italy has use four percent and continue to rose over the decades until it reached its peaked in the year 2007 where it is almost doubled. Portugal depicts that they only start to use almost two percent of carbon dioxide per person, but it has also rose continuously over the years and reached the highest record for 6 percent.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying the trends for all four countries. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you state the UK started at '12 percent' and ended at 'eight percent', whereas the graph shows metric tonnes per person, not percentages. Furthermore, the description of the trends is sometimes imprecise, such as claiming Italy 'doubled' when the data shows a more nuanced increase. While you have identified the key features, the misinterpretation of the units and the lack of precision in describing the data points prevent this from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'Overall' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the sequence of years and trends becomes difficult to follow. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using more varied linking phrases rather than repetitive structures.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. You frequently use the word 'percent' incorrectly to describe CO2 emissions, which are measured in metric tonnes. Phrases like 'lowest country who has the least record' are wordy and unnatural. There is an attempt to use descriptive verbs like 'fluctuating', 'decline', and 'peaked', but the misuse of units and occasional awkward collocations (e.g., 'trend of using Co2 emission') limit the score. To improve, focus on using precise terminology related to data and trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'Italy has use four percent' instead of 'Italy used four percent' and 'it has also rose' instead of 'it has also risen'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure is often repetitive. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable throughout the text, preventing a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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