Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-29

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 average carbon dioxide emission per person in four countries namely United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, the highest carbon dioxide emission per person was recorded in United Kingdom, whereas the lowest accounted country is Portugal. Sweden and Italy positioned at second and third, respectively.

In 1967, the United Kingdom emitted 10.50 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, followed by Sweden represents 8.50 metric tonnes. While the Portugal has the lowest share of approximately 1 metric tonnes, compared to Italy was almost halfed of the sweden.

From 1977, United kingdom kept gradually decreasing throughout the period. Whereas Sweden had reached its peak, over the 10 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, then it went down and exceeded the Itlay and closer to Portugal in 2007. Italy and Portugal were increasing singificantly throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to cover the main trends and data points from the chart, noting the overall highest and lowest emitters and mentioning several figures such as 10.50 metric tonnes for the UK in 1967. However, there is a penalty applied because the word count is 138 words, failing to meet the minimum 150-word requirement. Furthermore, some data points contain minor inaccuracies, such as stating that Italy was 'almost halfed of the sweden' in 1967, whereas Sweden was 8.6 and Italy 4.3. While an overview is attempted, the under-length nature of the response and slight inaccuracies limit the score to a 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is divided into a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs covering specific years and trends. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'In 1967', and 'From 1977'. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally feel mechanical or awkward, such as 'lowest accounted country' and 'Sweden and Italy positioned at second and third, respectively.' Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response, but overall progression is hindered by choppy sentence structures and some awkward phrasing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'emissions', 'metric tonnes', 'gradually decreasing', and 'significantly'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'lowest accounted country', 'represents 8.50 metric tonnes' instead of 'representing', and 'almost halfed' instead of 'half'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited accuracy, though meaning remains generally clear throughout the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory phrases. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing prepositions ('emission per person in four countries namely...'), incorrect verb forms ('Sweden represents 8.50', 'Portugal has the lowest share... compared to Italy was almost halfed'), and awkward phrasing ('United kingdom kept gradually decreasing'). Despite these errors, communication is not severely impeded, supporting a band 5.5 performance.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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