Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-05

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 tracks the changes of emission of Carbon dioxide per person in four different countries over the period of 50 decades.

Overall, The United Kingdom remains on top through out the period while Portugal show a upward trend, Sweden drastically dropped its carbon dioxide emission and Italy on a side ways moment after little spike in early stages.

The United Kingdom's highest carbon dioxide emission per person was 11 metric tons in 1967 which drops and shows downward trend since 1977 and it was almost 8 metric tons in 2007. On the other hand, Sweden reached its highest carbon dioxide emissions in 1977 and dropped dramatically to 7 metric tons near 1987 and reached to 5 metric tons in 2007.

Furthermore, Italy was on 4 metric tons in 1967 and record a sudden surge its emission in 1977 and since there is a side ways movement while Portugal show a steady moment through the period and reached its highest point in 2007 approximately 5 metric tons carbon dioxide emission per person.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all four countries and identifies the main trends, such as the UK's decline and Sweden's sharp drop. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; for instance, the UK does not remain 'on top' throughout the entire period, as Sweden's emissions were higher in the late 1960s and 1970s. Additionally, the description of Italy's trend as a 'side ways moment' is vague. While the key features are highlighted, the analysis lacks precision in comparing the countries against one another at specific intervals, which is essential for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

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 hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'side ways moment' and 'steady moment'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect the data points more fluidly rather than relying on simple additive transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for higher bands. Phrases like 'side ways moment' and 'little spike' are informal and imprecise for an academic report. There are also some errors in word choice, such as 'record a sudden surge its emission' (missing preposition) and '50 decades' (which is mathematically incorrect as the graph spans 40 years). While the student uses terms like 'metric tons' and 'upward trend', the range is limited and lacks the sophisticated collocation expected at Band 7 or above.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'Portugal show a upward trend' (subject-verb agreement), 'since there is a side ways movement' (missing subject/verb), and 'record a sudden surge' (tense inconsistency). Punctuation is generally functional, but the misuse of articles and verb tenses occasionally makes the text feel disjointed. The student demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but the frequency of errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher level of accuracy.

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

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