Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-02
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 gives information about average carbon dioxide radiations per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.
Overall, Portugal and Italy witnessed a considerable increase in carbon dioxide emissions between 1967 and 2007. On contrast, the average of the emission in United Kingdom, Sweden fell over the same period.
United Kingdom and Sweden have almost the same behavior in terms of falling over the entire period. In details, United Kingdom have almost constant value from 1967 to 1977, which is around 11 emission per person. Then, it declined steadily, reaching around 9 at 2007 between 1967 and 2007. However, Sweden's emission rose sharply from approximately 8.5 to 10.5 , as it is highest value ever Sweden have reached. after that, Sweden's emission fell dramatically for the next year until it reached almost 7. For the next three years, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions decreased to become roughly 5.5 per person at the end of the period.
On the other hand, carbon dioxide emissions in Italy and Portugal have a sharp increase for the whole period. The highest increasing rate for Italy was in the first year, As it increased form around 4.5 to 6.5. After that, carbon dioxide emission slightly increased for the next 3 years, reaching a constant value at the last year to become around 7.5. Finally , Portugal actually have the same behavior with a little differences such as its overall value was less than Italy.
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 response addresses the task by providing an overview and selecting main features from the graph, such as the overall upward trends in Italy and Portugal and downward trends in the UK and Sweden. However, the task is only partially addressed because some data points and comparisons lack clarity or accuracy. For instance, the student states that the UK had 'around 11 emission per person' in 1967 and 1977, and misinterprets the timeline and values in places, such as claiming Sweden's rise was 'highest value ever Sweden have reached' and describing the period between 1997 and 2007 confusingly. Furthermore, the information is sometimes too generalised or inadequately supported with precise figures, pulling the response into a partially developed category where key features need more thorough and accurate reporting.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is a clear attempt to organise the response into paragraphs, starting with an introduction, an overall summary, and separate body paragraphs for the different country groupings. However, overall progression is hindered by awkward transitions and mechanical or inaccurate use of cohesive devices, such as 'On contrast', 'In details', and 'After that, carbon dioxide emission slightly increased for the next 3 years, reaching a constant value at the last year'. Referencing can also be unclear, and logical flow between sentences is occasionally disrupted by abrupt shifts in topic or imprecise sequencing. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion requires better control to ensure a smoother, more logical guide for the reader throughout the text.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items related to trends such as 'considerable increase', 'rose sharply', and 'declined steadily'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and inappropriate collocations that impede natural expression, such as using 'radiations' instead of 'emissions', 'increasing rate' instead of 'rate of increase', and phrasing like 'have almost the same behavior'. Spelling and word-choice errors, while generally not completely obstructing communication, occur frequently enough to restrict the vocabulary score, as the writer lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher band levels.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and basic complex forms, many of which contain frequent errors. There are frequent issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'United Kingdom have almost constant value', 'Sweden's emission... as it is highest value', and 'Portugal actually have the same behavior with a little differences'. Additionally, article and preposition errors are common, such as 'at 2007' instead of 'in 2007' and missing plural markers. These frequent errors in basic grammar rules and complex structures cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a limited grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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