Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-15

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 illustrates average carbon dioxide emissions per person in three countries; United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between years 1967 and 2007.

Portugal and Italy both show a plateu trend overall while UK's emission is nearly constant with a slightly decreasing line and Sweden shows fluctuations followed by a decline in 2007.

Portugal was initially emitting 1 tonnes and increased to 3 tonnes in 1987 and from there it sped up and in 1997 till 2007, it emitted 5 tonnes. Italy started at 4 metric tones and spiked to 6.25 in 1977. Furthermore, it showed a constant increasing trend reaching to 7.5 metric tonnes in 2007. Sweden started at 9 metric tonnes and rose to 10 tonnes and from there it decreased it's emissions down to 5 tones in 2007.

UK's graph was a constant decreasing graph, starting at 11 tonnes in 1967 and ended up at 7 tonnes in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four countries and report several key movements, including Portugal’s rise, Sweden’s peak followed by decline, and the UK’s overall downward trend. However, the overview is not fully accurate: Portugal and Italy do not show a plateau overall; both rise substantially, with Italy levelling off only at the end. The UK also falls from about 10.8 to 8.7 tonnes, not 7, and its emissions are not nearly constant. Some figures are broadly close, but these misreadings weaken the comparison of the main features. To strengthen the response, give a precise overview of the contrasting trends and check endpoint values against the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to country-by-country details, and the reader can generally follow the information. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview groups Portugal and Italy together as showing a plateau, which does not accurately prepare the reader for the later details. The final UK sentence is also separated from the other country descriptions, and links such as “Furthermore” and “from there” are used repetitively or vaguely. Organise the body into clearer comparisons—for example, the declining UK and Sweden trends together, then the rising Italy and Portugal trends—and use precise time references to connect changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “emissions,” “increased,” “decreased,” and “reaching,” so the main information is usually understandable. There is some variety in describing movement, but several choices are imprecise or unnatural for a graph report: “spiked” overstates Italy’s gradual rise, “plateu trend” is both misspelled and inaccurate, and “constant decreasing graph” is an awkward description. There are also spelling and form errors, including “metric tones” and “it's emissions.” Aim for accurate, neutral trend language and consistent units, such as “rose steadily,” “declined,” and “tonnes per person.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, and most of the trends remain understandable. However, control is uneven in longer constructions. For example, “Portugal was initially emitting 1 tonnes and increased to 3 tonnes” has an agreement problem and an unclear subject for “increased”; “from there it sped up and in 1997 till 2007” is awkwardly joined and lacks clear punctuation. The opening also needs more accurate article and punctuation use in “in three countries; United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal.” Possessive “it's” is incorrect in “it's emissions,” and the UK sentence gives a grammatically clear but factually inaccurate endpoint. Use shorter, well-punctuated comparisons and check agreement, articles, and possessives.

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