Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-13

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 standard carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per individual in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007 over the period of nine years.

Overall, UK starts from the beginning at a huge percentage but decline over the period. While on the otherhand, Italy and Portugal face a gradual increase in thier emission over the period. Sweden faces a fluctuation from 1967 to 2007 time frame.

Initially, UK comprised of 11 metric tonnes of CO2 emission in 1967 but gradually decline over the period. While on the otherhand, Sweden starts from 8.5 metric tonnes in 1967 but faces immense in 1977 reaching upto 10.5 metric tonnes. After that falls downward upto 5.5 metric tonnes in 2007.

Furthermore, Italy emits upto 4.1 metric tonnes of CO2 in 1967. After that it takes a steady pace and reaches upto 7.5 metric tonnes of emission in 2007. In the beginning, Portugal was standing lowest with the average of 1.5 metric tonnes and over the period Portugal shows immensive rise of CO2 emission reaching upto 5.5 metric tonnes in 2007 matching sweden at the same time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all four countries and identify the main patterns: UK emissions decline, Italy and Portugal rise, and Sweden peaks before falling. The overview is relevant, and the figures you give are broadly consistent with the graph; the closing comparison that Portugal and Sweden both reach about 5.5 tonnes in 2007 is particularly useful. This meets the task well, with some features more fully reported than others. However, the opening says the period is “nine years,” although it spans 40 years, and “huge percentage” is not an accurate description of a value measured in tonnes. The UK’s final figure and Italy’s plateau at about 7.6 tonnes could also be made clearer. A more precise overview and fuller reporting of key endpoints would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the countries’ figures. The reader can generally follow the sequence from 1967 to 2007, and transitions such as “Overall” and “Furthermore” signal changes in focus. However, progression is weakened by repeated and sometimes awkward linking, especially “While on the otherhand,” which appears twice and does not connect the clauses cleanly. The overview also repeats information that is then restated in the detail paragraphs, while the country comparisons are not consistently grouped to show the overall ranking or contrasting trends. Use fewer, more precise connectors and organise the details into clear comparisons—for example, declining UK and Swedish figures alongside rising Italian and Portuguese ones.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “metric tonnes,” “emission,” “gradual increase,” and “fluctuation,” so the topic is clear. There is also an attempt to vary wording rather than repeat only “rise” and “fall.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a graph: “huge percentage” confuses a quantity with a percentage, “immense” is an unsuitable description of a numerical increase, and “takes a steady pace” is not a natural collocation here. Spelling errors such as “thier” and “otherhand” also reduce control. Aim for precise, conventional trend language and check spelling; terms such as “stood at,” “rose sharply,” “declined steadily,” and “levelled off” would describe the data more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses and time expressions, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in verb forms and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “UK starts … but decline” needs consistent tense and subject–verb agreement, while “Italy emits … After that it takes a steady pace” shifts between present and past and does not form a clear description of the historical data. The sentence beginning “While on the otherhand” is also a fragment when used on its own. Use past tense consistently for this completed period, check agreement, and join contrast clauses into complete sentences. More accurate control of these patterns would make your range easier to follow.

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