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 grapgh illustrates the average amount of cardondioxide (co2) produced per individual across four European countries- the United KIngdom, Sweden, Itali,, and Portugal-rom 1967 to 2007.

Overall, average per capita emissions declined in the UK and Sweden over the 40-year period, whereeas the italy and Portugal saw steady increases. Despite its downward trend, the UK consistently recorded the highest emession oer person throughout the entire period, whille Portugal consistently recorded the lowest, despite its significant rise.

In 1967, the UK had the highest figure at roughly 11metrc tonnes per person. this figure graduallyy decreased over the four decades, falling at around9 metric tonnes by 2007. Sweden initially ranked second, startingat approximately 8.5 metric tonnes, peaking sharply at over 10 metric tonnes in 1977. However Sweden's emisions subsequently experienced a dramatic decline, dropping to about 5.5 metric tonnesby 2007, where it converged with Portugal's output.

Conversely, Italy and Portugal both demonstrated upward trajectories. Italy's emissions began aat just over 4 metric tonnes in 1967 and grew steadly, levelling off at nearly 8 metric tonnes by 1997

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main trends and making relevant comparisons across the four countries over the 40-year period. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the main divergence between the downward trends in the UK and Sweden and the upward trends in Italy and Portugal. Key data points are accurately reported, such as the UK starting at around 11 metric tonnes and ending at approximately 9, and Sweden peaking in 1977. However, the response stops abruptly mid-sentence in the final paragraph ('Italy's emissions began aat just over 4 metric tonnes in 1967 and grew steadly, levelling off at nearly 8 metric tonnes by 1997'), leaving out the final data points for Italy and the conclusion of Portugal's trend. This omission prevents the task from being fully covered. Therefore, a band score of 6.0 is appropriate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement and follows a logical structure, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs grouping the countries by their trends (UK and Sweden, then Italy and Portugal). Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Despite its downward trend', and 'Conversely' are used effectively to guide the reader through the comparisons. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. However, referencing and progression are slightly disrupted by the abrupt ending of the text. Because the organisation is generally clear and logical despite minor mechanical faults and the incomplete final sentence, a band score of 6.5 is awarded.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common phrases such as 'per capita emissions', 'upward trajectories', and 'converged'. However, there are multiple spelling errors ('grapgh', 'cardondioxide', 'co2', 'Itali', 'emession', 'oer', 'whille', 'metrc', 'steadly', 'aat') and typographical slips ('whereeas', 'the italy', 'graduallyy', 'startingat', 'emisions', 'metric tonnesby') that detract from the overall quality. While these do not completely impede communication, the frequency of lexical and spelling inaccuracies keeps the score at this level. A band score of 6.0 reflects an adequate range with noticeable surface errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and subordinate structures like 'Despite its downward trend, the UK consistently recorded...' and 'Sweden initially ranked second, starting at approximately...'. There is good control over basic sentence construction, and punctuation is generally acceptable. However, grammatical and mechanical errors are noticeable throughout the text, including article misuse ('the italy'), missing spaces ('startingat', 'tonnesby'), and spelling slips. Despite these errors, the majority of sentences are understandable and communication is rarely impeded. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

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.