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)
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.
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AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four countries over the given period. The overview correctly highlights the high initial emissions of the UK and Sweden followed by a downward trend, contrasted with the low initial emissions and subsequent increases in Portugal and Italy. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in specific data reporting, such as stating the UK started at 13 tonnes when the actual figure was around 10.8 tonnes. Despite these minor data discrepancies, the overall trends and comparisons are clearly identified, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, and is best placed at 6.5 due to the data imprecisions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organised into an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a brief concluding phrase. There is a clear overall progression from the overview to detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used adequately to connect ideas, such as "Meanwhile", "At the same time", and "and then". However, paragraphing and referencing become slightly tangled in the second body paragraph, where multiple country trends are crammed into a single long sentence ("...followed closely by Sweden... crossing paths with Italy... meeting with Portugal..."), which makes the progression a bit difficult to follow. Overall cohesion is functional but occasionally mechanical, warranting a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to trends such as "downfall", "slight downfall", "sharp rise", and "fluctuated". There are also appropriate reporting verbs and nouns like "emission", "discharge", and "emitter". While there are some awkward collocations or word choices (such as "least contributors" instead of "lowest emitters", and "excelled throughout the period"), these do not severely impede communication. The writer attempts less common vocabulary with moderate success. This fits the criteria for Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including participial phrases and subordinate clauses (e.g., "being the highest emitter throughout the period"). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as "the emission of carbon dioxide in the UK and Sweden was the highest... but afterwards experienced a downfall" (where the countries experienced the downfall, not the emissions) and repetitive use of participial clauses modifying verbs incorrectly. Punctuation is also an issue, with long run-on sentences lacking appropriate segmentation. These errors occasionally cause minor confusion, placing the performance at a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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