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 figure depicts emission of carbon dioxide per person in the countries like United kingdom, Sweden, Italy and portugal between the years [redacted phone].
Overall, their is an irregular pattern in the emission of carbon dioxide between these countries.Portugal shows the maximum increase in carbon dioxide emission while sweden shows maximum decrease in carbon dioxide emission.
Portugal and italy started with low carbon dioxide emission during 1967. But ended with the increased carbon dioxide emission during 2007. Portual shows the continuous increase in carbon dioxide emission from 1967 to about 1987. Then an abrupt increase occurs during [redacted phone] approximately. After that the trend remains almost same between 1997 to 2007. Italy shows abrupt increase from [redacted phone]. Then it shows slight increase in emission during [redacted phone]. Finally it remains almost unchanged during 1997 to 2007.
Sweden and United kingdom although started with high emission but overall the emission was decreased during these years. Sweden starts with abrupt increase during 1967 to 1977 followed by abrupt decrease till 1987. Then the emission was slightly decreased during 1987 to 2007. There was very slight change in emission of carbon dioxide in united kingdom. The trend remains same during 1967 to 1977 followed by slight decrease till 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 covers all four countries and spans the given timeframe from 1967 to 2007, attempting to provide an overview and some key comparisons. However, there are notable inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that 'Portugal shows the maximum increase' (it grew from 1.2 to 5.4 tonnes, an increase of 4.2), whereas the United Kingdom started much higher at 10.8 and fell to 8.7, meaning Sweden actually showed the largest decrease (from 10.3 down to 5.4, if taking its 1977 peak, or 8.6 to 5.4 overall). Furthermore, some trend descriptions contain contradictions, such as claiming Italy remained 'almost unchanged during 1997 to 2007' while also stating it ended with increased emissions. Overall, the task is addressed, but more precision and accurate data referencing are needed for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs with an introductory sentence, an overview, and separate body paragraphs grouping the countries. However, the logical progression is hindered by confusing transitions and weak cohesive devices. For example, sentences such as 'Portual shows the continuous increase' and 'Sweden starts with abrupt increase during 1967 to 1977 followed by abrupt decrease till 1987' rely heavily on repetitive phrasing like 'abrupt increase' and 'abrupt decrease'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs feels somewhat mechanical and disjointed, impacting the overall readability.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'irregular pattern', 'abrupt increase', and 'unchanged'. However, there are several word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as saying 'their is an irregular pattern' (incorrect spelling of 'there') and 'Portugal shows the maximum increase'. Additionally, proper nouns are inconsistently capitalized throughout the text ('United kingdom', 'portugal', 'sweden', 'italy'), which detracts from the professional standard required.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are basic punctuation and capitalization errors, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters in places and spelling 'their' instead of 'there'. Complex structures are attempted—for example, 'Portugal and italy started with low carbon dioxide emission during 1967. But ended with the increased carbon dioxide emission during 2007'—which feature fragment sentences and awkward phrasing. Frequent minor errors in articles and prepositions persist, though they do not entirely impede communication.
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