Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The line graph illustrates the average emission of carbon dioxide individually in the 4 countries (United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal) from 1967 to 2007.
Overall, in term of average carbon dioxide emission per person, higher increase was experienced in Portugal in compaired to the others. Italy also accounted for increasing carbon emissions. In contrast, in UK this trend was gradually decreasing througout the period while moderately fluctuatedin Sweden.
Starting with the UK, carbon emission for their citizens stood at just below 11 metric tonnes highest in 1967 which slide down gradually over the period to come under 9 in 2007. Moreover, Sweden had accounted for under 9 metric tonne and peaked at just above 10 in following year then dropped around 7 in 1987. After it, steady decreased experienced till 2007 at just above 5 metric tonne.
Turning to the Portugal, it had least carbon emission in 1967 of around 1 metric tonne but then escalate in next period and in 2007 carbon emission was recorded just above 5 metric tonne but still lowest in compared to other. Likewise, in Italy, taken start from just above of 4 metric tonne which roketed to just below 8 metric tonne
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to cover all countries and the overall period from 1967 to 2007, providing an overview and specific data points. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the student states that Portugal had the 'least carbon emission in 1967 of around 1 metric tonne but then escalate in next period and in 2007 carbon emission was recorded just above 5 metric tonne', which is generally correct, but the overview contains vague and slightly imprecise generalisations. The UK trend is described as gradually decreasing, which is supported by the data (10.8 to 8.7), but some figures lack precision. Overall, the response addresses the prompt's core requirements but suffers from minor data misreadings and a somewhat limited overview, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is structured into four paragraphs, following a logical layout consisting of an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific country data. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'Starting with the UK', and 'Turning to the Portugal', which help structure the essay. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes clumsy, as seen in phrases like 'After it, steady decreased experienced' and 'Likewise, in Italy, taken start from'. Paragraphing is adequate, but internal cohesion within paragraphs feels somewhat mechanical and disjointed due to awkward phrasing. Overall progression is present, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'fluctuated', 'escalate', and 'roketed' (rocketed). However, there are several word choice and spelling errors, such as 'compaired' instead of compared, 'througout' instead of throughout, and 'roketed' instead of rocketed. Collocations are also occasionally unnatural, for instance, 'higher increase was experienced' or 'carbon emission for their citizens stood at'. The range is sufficient to communicate the main features, but frequent lexical inaccuracies limit the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('in UK this trend', 'Turning to the Portugal'), incorrect prepositions ('in compaired to', 'taken start from'), and awkward passive/active voice confusions ('steady decreased experienced' instead of a steady decrease was experienced). While these errors do not completely obscure meaning, they occur frequently throughout the text. Therefore, the response aligns best with the Band 5.0 descriptors for grammatical accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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