Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22
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 graph illustrates the average carbon dioxide emmisions in metric tonnes per person in different countries. For instance, in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.
Overall, in UK there were most emissions per person and later, it starts decreasing, while in Portugal, there were lowest emissions.
From 1967 to 1977 the carbon dioxide emissions in UK were slightly less than 11 metric tonnes, while in Sweden, this number was just below 9 metric tonnes. On the other hand in Italy the emissions were around 4 metric tonnes, however just above 1 in Portugal. In the next ten years from 1977 to 1987 the emissions starts declining in UK while increased substantially in Sweden, Italy and Portugal.
In the next ten years till 1997 the release of CO2 decreased in UK and Sweden while it started increasing in Italy and Portugal. Then till 2007 these emissions decreased again in UK while remained constant in Sweden but increased in Italy and portugal. UK and Sweden emissions are decreasing, and increasing in Italy and Portugal till 2007.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to cover the main features of the line graph showing carbon dioxide emissions for the UK, Sweden, Italy, and Portugal between 1967 and 2007. An overview is attempted, noting that the UK had the highest emissions and Portugal the lowest, though the sentence structure at the beginning ('For instance, in the United Kingdom...') is fragmented and poorly integrated. While some key trends are identified, there are inaccuracies in describing specific data points and periods; for example, the student states emissions increased substantially in Sweden, Italy, and Portugal from 1977 to 1987, whereas Sweden actually experienced a significant decrease (from 10.3 to 7.0). Consequently, the response achieves a Band 5.5 as it addresses the task only partially with some inaccurate reporting of data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, which aids initial readability, but the overall logical progression is hampered by repetitive concluding statements ('UK and Sweden emissions are decreasing, and increasing in Italy and Portugal till 2007') and some awkward sequencing. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance', 'while', 'On the other hand', and 'In the next ten years', but their application is sometimes repetitive or slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division of ideas could be more clearly managed to separate distinct time periods without redundancy. Overall, the organization shows a coherent overall arrangement but suffers from mechanical cohesion, earning a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with appropriate topic-related terms such as 'emissions', 'metric tonnes', 'decreasing', and 'increasing'. However, there is a spelling error in the very first sentence ('emmisions') and capitalization issues ('portugal'). The range is somewhat limited, and attempts at less common vocabulary are basic or repetitive, relying heavily on simple verbs of change like 'increased', 'decreased', and 'declining'. There are also minor awkward word choices, such as 'the release of CO2'. Because the vocabulary is minimally adequate for the task despite noticeable errors, this fits the Band 5.5 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using temporal clauses and coordinating conjunctions. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several punctuation and structural errors, such as missing articles ('in UK', 'in Portugal'), sentence fragments, and awkward phrasing ('the emissions starts declining' where subject-verb agreement fails). Complex structures are frequently faulty, causing some distraction for the reader. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of errors places this response firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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