Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-18

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)

This graph shows and compare the average

carbon dioxide emissions per person in United kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 to 2007.From the year 1967 till 2007 the average CO2 emissions in United kingdom went from 11 metric tonnes to 9 metric tonnes.In sweden it went from 9 metric tonnes to 5 metric tonnes.In Italy from 4 metric tonnes to 7 metric tonnes and in Portugal it went from 2 metric tonnes to 5 metric tonnes.Over the years the United Kingdom sees a steady decline in the rate of CO2 emission per peroan.Sweden however is an interesting case as from the years 1967 to 1977 the emission actually went up from 8 to 9 metric tonnes, however over the next decade it features a sharp decline in emission rate going to 5 metric tonnes to 4.8 metric tonnes till 2007.Italy from 1967 to 1977 saw a sharp growth of 4 to 6.2 metric tones.Among all these countries Portugal has been the one with the lowest rates going from 2 metric tonnes to 2.8 metric tonnes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all four countries and identifies the main trends, such as the decline in the UK and Sweden and the growth in Italy and Portugal. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, relying heavily on listing figures rather than synthesizing the data. While the overview is present, it lacks a clear summary of the most significant differences or patterns across the period. To reach a higher band, you should group the countries by their trends (e.g., those that decreased versus those that increased) rather than describing each country in isolation. This would provide a more analytical approach to the data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into two paragraphs, but the structure is quite basic. The progression of ideas is logical, but the use of cohesive devices is limited and somewhat repetitive. For example, the frequent use of 'In [country] from...' creates a mechanical flow. There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect the trends between countries or to contrast the different trajectories effectively. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic verbs like 'went from' and 'saw', which are repetitive. There are also minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'peroan' (person) and 'tones' (tonnes). To improve, you should incorporate a wider range of vocabulary related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a gradual decline'. Using more precise terminology will help you demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include missing articles (e.g., 'In United kingdom'), incorrect verb tense usage in some descriptions, and punctuation errors. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the data, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage when describing historical data will help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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