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 line graph illustrates the mean carbon dioxide release per residence of 4 countries given, in the years 1967 to 2007.
Overall, among four countries given, discharge of carbon dioxide had incresed drastically for Portugal and Italy, whereas the graph had fallen down for the remaning two countries, which are Swedan and United Kingdom.
The value of the discharge of carbon dioxide was low initially for Portugal which was about 1 ton, which increased stedily to 5 ton till the end of 2007. Moreover, Italy had the sharp rise in the graph, which goes from about 4 ton to arounf 8 ton in 2007.
On the other hand, United KIngdom had the highest carbon dioxide emmision in the year 1967, which dropped steadily throughput the time period of 1967 to 2007. Talking about Sweden, it had sudden stroke upwards between the years 1967 to 1977 which had sharp decrease till the end of 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 attempts to address all parts of the task by identifying the main trends for all four countries shown in the graph. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, contrasting the upward trends in Portugal and Italy with the downward trends in the UK and Sweden. However, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting and terminology: the student writes 'mean carbon dioxide release per residence' instead of per person, and mischaracterises Sweden's initial movement as a 'sudden stroke upwards' between 1967 and 1977 before decreasing. While the general directions of the trends are captured, the imprecise data points and minor misreadings place this response firmly at Band 5.5 to 6.0. It covers the main features, but lacks precision in reporting specific figures.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organised into four paragraphs, following a logical structure of introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific country trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. Referencing is mostly clear, such as 'remaining two countries, which are Swedan and United Kingdom', although paragraphing and overall cohesion are sometimes disrupted by awkward phrasing and minor structural clunkiness. The logical progression is clear enough to guide the reader through the data, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts to use a range of vocabulary suitable for a graph description, including words like 'discharge', 'steadily', and 'drastically'. However, there are noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors, such as 'incresed' (increased), 'remaning' (remaining), 'Swedan' (Sweden), and 'emmisioin' (emission). Furthermore, the collocation 'release per residence' is inaccurate for emissions per person. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy. Because these errors do not severely impede communication, but are frequent enough to detract from precision, the lexical resource is best evaluated at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('countries given, in the years 1967 to 2007' and 'which were Swedan and United Kingdom'). There are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including tense inconsistencies ('had incresed', 'was low... which increased') and prepositional errors ('sharp rise in the graph, which goes from...'). While these errors do not entirely obscure the meaning, they occur regularly and impact the overall fluency of the writing, aligning closely with the Band 5.5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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