Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-02
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 5.5)
The graph illustrate the average emission of carbon dioxide per person in four different countries mainly the United Kingdom , Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 to 2007.
The Carbon dioxide emission go down over the period, the United kingdom account for the highest emission at 11 metric tonnes in 1967 but over the time gets declined and end up at approximately 9 tonnes in 2007. Similarly Sweden almost same as UK begin with 9 tonnes in 1967 and reached its peak in 1997 but moderatly decreased and ends at 5 mertric tonnes in 2007.
For Portugal country is recorded as an reversed pattern it birth with approximately 1 metric tonnes emisssions in 1967 and surge it to 5 tonnes in 2007 , the similar pattern noticed for the Italy the begin of emissions per person was less but gradually rose and ended up at 7 metric tonnes in 2007.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 increase in Italy and Portugal. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the description of the UK's decline is a bit vague, and the peak for Sweden is mentioned without specifying the year clearly or comparing it effectively to the others. While the main features are reported, the overview is missing, which is a critical requirement for Task 1. To improve, ensure you provide a clear summary of the overall trends in an introductory or concluding paragraph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as 'For Portugal country is recorded as an reversed pattern'. The transition between sentences is often abrupt, and the logical flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'in contrast', 'meanwhile', 'subsequently'). The referencing is occasionally unclear, making the progression of ideas feel somewhat disjointed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several spelling errors, such as 'mertric', 'emisssions', and 'moderatly'. The phrasing is often repetitive, relying on basic verbs like 'go down', 'gets declined', and 'ends at'. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a significant surge'. The current range is sufficient to convey meaning but is limited in its sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The graph illustrate', 'The Carbon dioxide emission go down'), incorrect verb tenses ('it birth with'), and awkward phrasing ('the similar pattern noticed for the Italy'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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