Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18
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)
The data illustrates the average carbon dioxide release by every single person in the British and Europion countries from 1967 to 2007, expressed in metric tonnes.
Overall, CO2 emissions climbed up in Portugal and Italy while declined in case of Sweden and United Kingdom between 1967 and 2007.
Among Europian countries, Italy people recorded maximum rise in carbon dioxide emission. It showed least value in 1967 , just above 4 metric tonnes and maximum value just below 8. Similarly Portugal also climbed up gradullay , least value below 2 and highest value just below 6 metric tonnes. By contrast, Sweden rised to above 10 metric tonnes in 1977 but after that it declined to below 8 in 1987 and least value below 6 in 2007.
Unikted Kingdom stayed stable from 1967 to 1977 ,then dropped gradually to just above 8 metric tonnes in 2007. Among all, it recorded highest carbon dioxide emission 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 | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses the main features of the chart, providing an adequate overview and reporting key trends for all four countries. The overview correctly identifies that emissions increased in Portugal and Italy while decreasing in the UK and Sweden. The student selects relevant data points, noting Italy and Portugal's upward trajectory, Sweden's peak in 1977 followed by a decline, and the UK's high emissions alongside a gradual drop. While some specific figures contain slight approximations or minor omissions, all parts of the prompt are covered and the main comparisons are established. The response meets the minimum word count requirement and presents a generally clear picture of the visual data, placing it securely in Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four paragraphs, following a logical structure with an introduction, an overall summary, and body paragraphs detailing specific country trends. Cohesive devices and transition signals such as 'Overall', 'Among Europian countries', and 'By contrast' are used to connect ideas, although referencing and linking can occasionally feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed group comparisons, contributing to a coherent overall arrangement. However, some transitions could be smoother and referencing is occasionally ambiguous, which keeps the response at a Band 6 level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common collocations and vocabulary related to data description such as 'carbon dioxide emission', 'gradullay', and 'stable'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including 'Europion', 'rised', and 'Unikted'. Phrases such as 'every single person in the British and Europion countries' and 'Italy people recorded' show awkward phrasing and lack precision. Although these lexical errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing clauses and comparative structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors throughout the text, such as missing articles ('least value in 1967'), incorrect verb forms ('Sweden rised'), and awkward prepositions or missing subjects ('Italy people recorded'). While these errors rarely completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the writing from achieving a higher band. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but sentence structures frequently contain minor slips, aligning the grammar with a Band 5.5 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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