Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-16
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 above line graph exhibits the average expansion of carbon dioxide by individuals in the four different regions-United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal in the five years between 1967 to 2007 measured in metric tonnes.
Overall, it is clear that the United Kingdom has been very popular for carbon dioxide emissions in the starting years while Portugal at the least.
Though, there are various changes shown between all the regions.
In 1967 -1968, carbon dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom was at the peak approximately around 11 metric tonnes before falling sharply to 9. Likewise, Sweden experienced a similar trend from 8.5 metric tonnes to reaching 10 and half in 1977 and then fall dramatically to 7 before dropping to about 5.5mt. This shows how much changes have been made in few years.
Similarly, Italy went from around 4 in 1967 to 6.5 metric tonnes in 1977. Later, it move up slightly to below 8 and stood steady in the year 1997 to 2007. However, Portugal was at the last level from 1 in 1967 and at last at around 4.7 metric tonnes. Therefore, all the regions went through various phases and faced up and downs
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response provides a general overview and selects key features, such as the peak in the UK and the upward trend in Italy and Portugal. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. The description of the UK trend is slightly inaccurate regarding the timeline, and the grouping of years (e.g., '1967-1968') does not align well with the data points provided in the graph. While the main features are identified, the comparison between countries could be more analytical rather than just listing individual trends. To improve, ensure that the data points are accurately transcribed and that the overview clearly highlights the most significant differences between the countries over the entire period.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'Though, there are various changes' at the start of a sentence. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Referencing is mostly clear, but the connection between the data points and the summary statements could be strengthened to improve the overall flow of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. Phrases like 'very popular for carbon dioxide emissions' are inappropriate in this context, as 'popular' does not describe emissions. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'at the last level' and 'faced up and downs'. While the student uses some relevant terms like 'metric tonnes' and 'sharply', the range is limited, and some word choices impede the professional tone required for an academic report. Expanding the range of reporting verbs and descriptive adjectives would improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'it move up slightly' (subject-verb agreement), 'in the five years between 1967 to 2007' (preposition error), and 'at the least' (inappropriate phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of hyphens and spacing around numbers. While these errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to affect the clarity of the report. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage would be beneficial.
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