Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-30

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 4.5)

The graph shows the average carbon dioxide emissions throughly different country. and there is huge difference between countries.

Overall, Portugal have been more carbon dioxide emissions from 1967 to 2007.similarly, Italy also have been more carbon dioxide emissions from 1967 to 2007.although both countries have less metric tonnes. both countries are in downfall in 1967 but when the years go through time wise than both countries have been in highest carbon.

However, Sweden in 1967 to 1977 there is highest carbon emission as per person and when Sweden go through process than the carbon been down from 1977 to 2007.likewise, United Kingdom have also the similar ratio of carbon dioxide in 1967 to 1977 then the United Kingdom also been down from 1977 to 2007 and the both countries have highest carbon dioxide metric tonnes like Sweden have above 8 metric tonnes and United Kingdom have above 10 metric tonnes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response attempts to address the task by discussing the provided graph on carbon dioxide emissions, but the content contains significant factual inaccuracies and confusion regarding the trends. For instance, the student states that Portugal and Italy 'have been in downfall in 1967', whereas the data shows both countries starting low and rising significantly over the period. Similarly, claiming that Sweden experienced its highest carbon emission between 1967 and 1977 contradicts the graph, which shows Sweden peaking in 1977 but declining thereafter. While some general features are mentioned, the lack of accurate data reporting and flawed interpretation of the trends prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The organisational structure of the response is extremely weak. The text is divided into only two dense paragraphs with poor logical progression. Cohesive devices are either misused or absent, resulting in disjointed and confusing transitions between ideas. For example, phrases like 'when the years go through time wise' and 'when Sweden go through process' are non-standard and fail to guide the reader through the data logically. Furthermore, paragraphing is inadequate, as the overview and body details are lumped together without clear separation, severely hindering the overall flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and often unnatural. Phrases such as 'throughly different country', 'in downfall', and 'carbon been down' demonstrate a severely limited lexical range and poor word choice. There are also frequent issues with word formation and collocation, such as using 'metric tonnes' to describe emission levels without proper contextual modifiers. Although the student attempts to name countries and units of measurement, the overall lexical resource is inadequate for clear and precise reporting of visual data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mostly of poorly constructed simple and complex sentences. There are frequent, heavy grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Portugal have been', 'Italy also have been'), incorrect prepositions, and fragmented sentences ('and there is huge difference between countries'). Punctuation is also problematic, with missing capitalisation at the beginnings of sentences and run-on clauses linked improperly with conjunctions. These persistent errors frequently impede communication and strain the reader's understanding.

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

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