Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-14
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 compares the average carbon dioxide emissions individualy in four countries between the years of 1967 and 2007.
Overall, it can be noted from the graph that carbon emission flucuated in various countries in many ways. The highest emissions were that of United Kingdom despite the steady decline throughout the years. Similarites can be observed in the case of surging up in Italy and potugal while decline in UK and Sweden.
In detail, in Portugal the emissions dramatically surged from around half metric tonnes to about four and a half mactching Sweden in 2007 which initially strated with around 9 million metric tonnes but dropped down dramatically after 1977.
The emissions in Italy suged steadily like Portugal with one major difference at the starting point. Apart from that the number of Carbon emissions in UK initially started from around 11 metric tones but constantly declined afterwads and reached its lowest point of about 9 metric tonnes in 2007.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully identifies and reports the main features of the graph, covering all four countries over the given time period. An overview is provided in the second sentence, noting the overall fluctuation and singling out the United Kingdom as having the highest emissions alongside general trends of convergence or divergence, such as the rise in Italy and Portugal. Key data points are selected and compared, for example noting Portugal's surge from 'around half metric tonnes to about four and a half mactching Sweden in 2007'. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data, such as stating the UK started at around 11 metric tonnes and reached 9 in 2007, when the start point was actually higher (around 19) and ended lower. These minor data inaccuracies place the response at a Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to specific details in subsequent paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate general trends from detailed comparisons. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical. The transitions between ideas can be abrupt, and cohesive devices are minimally used or occasionally awkward, such as starting a sentence with 'In detail, in Portugal...' and 'Apart from that the number...'. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression within the body paragraphs feels slightly disjointed due to dense clusters of data and minor organisational flaws. These characteristics align well with a Band 6 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'fluctuated', 'dramatically surged', and 'constantly declined'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'individualy' (individually), 'flucuated' (fluctuated), 'Similarites' (Similarities), 'potugal' (Portugal), 'mactching' (matching), 'strated' (started), 'suged' (surged), 'starting' (starting point), and 'afterwads' (afterwards). Furthermore, the collocation 'metric tonnes' is used, but units of measurement are occasionally imprecise. Because these errors in spelling and word choice are noticeable and occur frequently across the response, the lexical resource is constrained to a Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar with structures such as 'Overall, it can be noted from the graph that...' and participial phrases like 'despite the steady decline throughout the years'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues that recur, including missing articles (e.g., 'in United Kingdom'), incorrect prepositions, and structural awkwardness such as 'The highest emissions were that of United Kingdom'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 6. Therefore, a Band 5 is appropriate as errors cause some difficulty and the range of structures is somewhat limited.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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