Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-14
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 4.5)
The graph illustrates the average emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) in four different European countries in year 1967 and 2007.
Overall, a significant yet contstant rise has been observed in carbon dioxide emission in countries like Itlay and Portugal. However, the CO2 emission in Sweden, had a peak in 1977, after a sudden drop it decreases. In United Kingdom, a steady decline has been observed throughout the period.
Initially, in 1967, the emission value of carbon dioxide was relatively low to less than 2 and a little over 4, in Portugal and Itlay, repectively. Later on, it started to rise and by 1987 and 1997, the values gets to reach above 4 and 6. Therefore, in 2007, the values showed a steady flow, a little over 4 and 6, in Portugal and Itlay.
A significant rise has been observed in CO2 in Portugal, in year 1977, little over 10 in metric tonnes, but then it dropped suddenly in 1987 to 7 and showed a decline from 1997 to 2007, to 6 and less to 6. CO2 emission shows stability in value from 1967 to 1977 to little over 10 and then showed slow decline from year 1987 to 2007 from 10 to close 9 in United Kingdom.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response identifies some broad patterns, including the UK’s decline and Sweden’s peak in 1977 followed by a fall. However, the account only partially reports the graph and contains major inaccuracies that obscure the comparisons. Most notably, the paragraph beginning “A significant rise has been observed in CO2 in Portugal” actually describes Sweden: its figure rises to just over 10 in 1977, then falls to 7 and continues downward. The UK trend is also repeated, while Italy’s rise and Portugal’s steady increase are described imprecisely and without their final levels. The overview is present, but “constant rise” overlooks Italy’s levelling off and does not clearly compare the countries’ overall positions. Select the main trends accurately and organise the figures under the correct country names.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The response has paragraphs and uses basic sequencing and contrast markers such as “Overall,” “Initially,” “Later on” and “However,” so the reader can recognise an attempt to organise the information. Nevertheless, progression is difficult to follow because the country descriptions are mixed up: the final paragraph labels Sweden’s figures as Portugal’s, then shifts to the UK. The second body paragraph also groups Italy and Portugal together without clearly distinguishing their trends. Some linking expressions, including “Therefore,” do not show a clear logical relationship between the preceding and following information. Give each body paragraph a clear focus, use country names consistently, and connect comparisons directly to the relevant figures to make the organisation more coherent.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The response uses enough topic vocabulary to communicate the general subject, including “emission,” “decline,” “peak,” “rise” and “metric tonnes.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the data difficult to interpret. “A significant yet contstant rise” is not a suitable description of both Italy and Portugal, since Italy levels off at the end, and “steady flow” is unclear for a numerical trend. There are also spelling errors such as “Itlay” and “repectively.” Use precise trend language and vary it appropriately: for example, distinguish a rise, a fall, and a plateau, and describe values as emissions “per person” or “per capita” rather than relying repeatedly on “emission value.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “However” and “after,” but control is inconsistent and errors sometimes make relationships between figures unclear. For example, “the values gets to reach” has incorrect subject–verb agreement and an awkward verb construction; “the emission value … was relatively low to less than 2” uses an incorrect comparison pattern; and “in United Kingdom” is missing the article. The sentence beginning “A significant rise has been observed…” also has unclear clause structure, making it hard to tell which country is being described. Work on accurate past-tense reporting, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. Shorter, clearly structured sentences would help you express comparisons more reliably while you develop complex forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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