Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-11

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 4.0)

The line gragh demonstrae avrage carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, United Kingdom reach the hiest level comparing to other nations, in Sweden in 1967 the carbon increased significantly peak up 10 toons then drop dramatically to 6 toons in 2007. In Italy the carbon increase stead3y to 6 tonns in 1977 to 1997 than it becom stable in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the topic and makes a relevant attempt to summarise trends, noting that UK emissions were highest and that Sweden rose before falling. However, coverage is very incomplete: Portugal is not mentioned, and the account of Italy is unclear and inaccurate, since its emissions rose from about 4.3 tonnes to 7.6 tonnes and then levelled off only from 1997 to 2007. The UK’s gradual decline is also not described. The overview is limited and some figures or periods are imprecise. Most importantly, the response is 58 words, below the required 150 words; this leaves too little space to select and report the main features and comparisons. Add a fuller overview and cover all four countries.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence introduces the graph, followed by a paragraph beginning “Overall” that reports trends. This gives the reader a simple starting structure. However, the ideas are not developed in a clear sequence, and the short response leaves relationships between countries largely unexplained. The sentence about Sweden is awkwardly joined to the claim about the UK, while the Italy sentence compresses several dates and changes into an unclear sequence. Use separate, logically grouped paragraphs—for example, one for the overall picture and one or two for country comparisons—and connect trends with clear time markers such as “by 1977” and “thereafter.”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “emissions,” “per person,” “increased,” “drop,” and “stable,” so the general subject is recognisable. However, the range is narrow and several spelling errors—“gragh,” “demonstrae,” “avrage,” “hiest,” and “toons”—make the writing less clear and less appropriate for an academic report. Some choices are also imprecise: “carbon” is used where “CO₂ emissions” would be clearer, and “peak up” is not a natural collocation for reaching a high point. Build a small bank of accurate trend language, such as “declined gradually,” “rose sharply,” and “levelled off,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response communicates a few basic ideas through simple sentences, but grammatical control is inconsistent. For example, “United Kingdom reach the hiest level” lacks an article and uses the wrong verb form; “in Sweden in 1967 the carbon increased” has an unclear sentence structure; and “then it becom stable in 2007” contains an incorrect verb form. The final sentence also has a confusing time construction, making it difficult to tell when Italy’s rise ended and when it became stable. There is little evidence of a range of sentence structures, and errors recur across the short response. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and sentence patterns such as “Emissions in Italy rose from X to Y, before levelling off.”

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