Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-28
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 illustrate the normal carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in four countires from 1967 to 2007.
Overall, carbon dioxide emissions per person experience a significant increase in the Italy, while United kingdom and Sweden witness a sharp downward trend . Despite a show dramatic surge in Portugal, the Uk remained the highest tonnes throughtout the entire period.
In 1967, the uk had the highest per capita CO2 emissions at approximately 11 metric tonnes. This figure fell steadily over the next four decades, reaching just over 9 metric tonnes by 2007. in additional, the Sweden record a marked rise from about 9 metric tonnes in 1967 to a peak of over 11 metric tonnes in 1977. However, Swedish emmission tehn record a dramatic fall for the remainder of the period, dropping to around 5.5 metric tonnes in 2007.
In contract, emission in italy and portugal achieve a peak growth . Italy emmisoin started at just above 4 metric tonnes in 1967, rising steadily to overtake sweden by 1987 and eventually reaching nearly 8 metric tonnes in 2007. Portugal began with the lowest
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview of the trends and highlighting key data points for the four countries. The student accurately notes that the UK had the highest emissions throughout the period while experiencing a downward trend, and that Sweden and Italy followed different trajectories. However, the response is incomplete, as it trails off abruptly at the end ('Portugal began with the lowest'). This lack of a complete conclusion and truncated final sentence prevents the response from achieving a higher band score, as it leaves the description of Portugal unfinished.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, which gives it a logical framework. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Despite', 'In 1967', and 'In contrast' are used to connect ideas. However, the abrupt ending of the text significantly impacts the overall progression and cohesion. Furthermore, some referencing and linking mechanisms are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'in additional, the Sweden record'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the incomplete nature of the final paragraph disrupts the structural flow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for a task 1 response, including terms like 'emissions', 'per person', 'downward trend', 'dramatic surge', and 'peak'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'countires', 'emmission', 'tehn', 'contract' (instead of 'contrast'), and 'emmisoin'. While the intended meaning is usually clear despite these slips, the frequency of errors prevents the score from reaching a higher band. Collocations are occasionally awkward, such as 'achieve a peak growth'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer demonstrates an attempt at a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using introductory prepositional phrases and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Despite a show dramatic surge in Portugal...'). However, grammatical control is weak, with frequent errors in verb tense and agreement, such as 'The graph illustrate', 'carbon dioxide emissions... experience', 'the Sweden record', and 'emmission tehn record'. Punctuation and capitalization errors are also noticeable, such as 'uk' and 'italy' uncapitalized, and stray lowercase letters like 'in additional'. These errors occasionally cause strain for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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