Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-21
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 illustrates information about average carbon dioxide emissions per person, measured in tonnes, in the UK, Sweden, Italy, and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.
Overall, the emission of carbon dioxide in the UK and Sweden was the highest in the early years, but afterwards experienced a downfall. Meanwhile, Portugal and Italy were the least contributors, but they had a significant increase at the end of the period.
In 1967, the release of carbon dioxide in the UK was 13 tonnes, being the highest emitter throughout the period. At the same time, it experienced a slight downfall, reaching 9 tonnes in 2007, followed closely by Sweden at just above 8 tonnes in 1967, and then experiencing a sharp rise, reaching at just above 10 tonnes in 1977, whilst following a downfall, crossing paths with Italy at just above 6 tonnes and meeting with Portugal at just below 6 tonnes in 2007.
In 1967, the discharge of carbon dioxide in Portugal was the least, at just 1 tonne; at the same time, it increased to 3 tonnes in 1987, and excelled throughout the period. Italy fluctuated throughout the period, starting at just above 4 tonnes of emission in 1967, reaching above 6 tonnes in 1977, and again experiencing a slight increase, standing at 7.5 tonnes in 1997, and then remaining constant until 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 covers all four countries and presents an overview of the main trends, satisfying the core requirements of Task 1. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data. For instance, the student states that the UK emission in 1967 was 13 tonnes, whereas the actual figure was approximately 10.8 tonnes. Similarly, some of the comparative details and trend trajectories towards 2007 are somewhat confused and difficult to follow, particularly in the third paragraph. Despite these data reading errors and slight confusion in detailing specific crossover points, the response provides a clear summary of the overall direction of emissions for each nation. Therefore, it meets the descriptor for Band 6, where all parts of the task are addressed, though some details are inaccurate or under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overall summary paragraph, and then detailed body paragraphs. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices to link ideas, such as "Meanwhile", "At the same time", and "whilst". However, the cohesion within the third paragraph becomes strained due to run-on structures and convoluted referencing, making it difficult to track which country is being referred to at various points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and body details, giving the text a coherent overall arrangement. This aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor, where there is a coherent overall arrangement and logical progression, though cohesion is occasionally faulty.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms such as "illustrates", "carbon dioxide emissions", "downfall", and "fluctuated". There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but these are sometimes accompanied by awkward collocations or slight lexical inaccuracies, such as "least contributors" instead of "lowest contributors" or "release of carbon dioxide" instead of "levels of carbon dioxide". Spelling is generally accurate, but word choice errors occasionally impede precise communication. This performance fits the Band 6 descriptor, which requires an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts less common items with some inaccuracy.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases like "being the highest emitter throughout the period". However, control over complex structures is inconsistent. The third paragraph contains an overly long, convoluted sentence structure with multiple clauses strung together ("reaching at just above 10 tonnes in 1977, whilst following a downfall, crossing paths with Italy..."), which creates grammatical strain and reduces clarity. There are noticeable punctuation and grammatical errors, but they do not completely impede communication. This corresponds to a Band 6 score, reflecting a mix of simple and complex sentence forms with some persistent errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.