Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-09

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 given line graph depicts the average carbon dioxide emissions for an individual in four different countries for peruod between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, it can bee seen that Sweden and Portugal had decrease in emissions of co2 and United Kingdom and Italy got rise in the carbon dioxide emissions.

It can be clearly observed that the lowest data started from 1 which was Portugal in 1967 whereas the United Kingdom had the highest which was almost 11 metric tonnes. In 1977 Sweden got its peak point to 10 metrric tonnes but Italy had increased from 4 to 6 metric tonnes for the carbon dioxide emissions.

Furthermore, Portugal stayed constant to the highest point 5 metric tonnes followed by next 20 years whereas Sweden had decreased at the maximum point to 5 metric tonnes for the emissions of carbon dioxide per person. Italy got the peak point in 1997 to almost 8 metric tonnes of carbon emissions and United Kingdom got decrease to 7 metric tonnes of carbon emissions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the countries, period and unit, and include some relevant comparisons, such as Portugal starting lowest and the UK starting highest, as well as Sweden peaking in 1977. However, the overview misreports the main trends: Sweden and Portugal did not both decline. Portugal rose throughout, while Sweden rose initially and then fell; the UK declined and Italy rose before levelling off. Some later figures are also inaccurate: the UK ended at about 9 tonnes, not 7, and Portugal reached about 5.4 tonnes in 2007 rather than staying constant from 1997. These errors and the limited coverage of the overall pattern make the summary only partially accurate. Prioritise a correct overview, then support it with a few reliable comparisons across the period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details, and uses linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore,” and “whereas.” This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is weakened because the overview’s trend claims conflict with the details, and the final paragraph combines several countries without a clear sequence. Phrases such as “followed by next 20 years” are difficult to connect to the data, while repeated references to “carbon emissions” make the account feel repetitive. Organise the details consistently by country or by time period, and use clear comparisons to show how each trend relates to the others.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “emissions,” “metric tonnes,” “peak point,” and “decreased,” so the subject is generally clear. There is some attempt to vary expressions, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a line graph: “got its peak point,” “stayed constant to the highest point,” and “got decrease” do not express the intended trends precisely. Spelling slips such as “peruod,” “bee,” and “metrric” also reduce accuracy. Aim for standard collocations such as “reached a peak,” “remained stable,” and “fell to,” and check spelling carefully. More precise trend vocabulary would help you report changes without relying on repeated phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentences, including a comparison with “whereas” and a time clause beginning “In 1977.” The meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms occur regularly. For example, “Sweden and Portugal had decrease” needs a correctly formed verb phrase, and “United Kingdom got decrease” lacks an appropriate subject–verb construction. Articles and prepositions are also sometimes missing or awkward, as in “for peruod between” and “to the highest point.” Some sentences join several ideas in ways that make relationships unclear. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build shorter, controlled comparison sentences before adding more complex structures.

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