Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-19

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 average carbon dioxide emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, it is evdent that average of carbon dioxide emissions per person in the Portugal showed upward trend following Italy while the United kingdom declined dramatically over the whole period moreover,Sweden showed the fluctuate trend.

In the Portugal, Average of carbon dioxide emissions per person surged sharply between 1967 and 2007 and reached approximately at 5 metric tonnes.while Italy increased gradually in the average of carbon dioxide emissions per person from 4 to around 8 metric tonnes between 1967 and 2007.

Further, the United kingdom declined the average of carbon dioxide emissions per person from 11 to 9 metric tonnes between 1967 and 2007 whereas,in sweden average of carbon dioxide emissions per person increased from 9 and reached 11 metric tonnes between 1967 and 1977 then it decreased sharply about 11 to 5 metric tonnes between 1977 and 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four countries and report the broad direction of their trends, including the UK’s decline, Italy’s rise and Sweden’s peak followed by a fall. However, the overview is unclear: Portugal did not rise “following Italy” in a meaningful sequence, and Sweden’s pattern is described only as “fluctuate.” The body gives some relevant figures, but the UK’s fall was gradual rather than dramatic, and Italy levelled off at about 7.6 tonnes after 1997. Portugal rose from about 1.2 to 5.4 tonnes, not merely “approximately at 5.” The response is 146 words, below the 150-word minimum; the 15 words copied from the prompt are excluded. Add a clearer overview and more precise comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of details, and the country-by-country grouping makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, progression within sentences is often awkward, and linking devices are sometimes inaccurate or overused. For example, “moreover, Sweden showed the fluctuate trend” is attached to the overview without a clear relationship, while “Further” does not clearly signal the comparison that follows. The final sentence combines Sweden’s rise and fall in a long construction, making the stages harder to process. Use separate, clearly ordered sentences and connect comparisons directly—for example, contrast the UK’s steady decline with Italy’s rise and Portugal’s increase.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “emissions,” “per person,” “metric tonnes,” “increased” and “declined,” so the main subject remains understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes the description less precise. “Showed the fluctuate trend” is not a natural phrase; “fluctuated” or “followed a fluctuating pattern” would be clearer. “Surged sharply” overstates Portugal’s steady rise, and “declined dramatically” exaggerates the UK’s gradual fall. There are also spelling and capitalization slips, including “evdent,” “portugal” and “sweden.” Aim for accurate trend language and vary repeated phrases such as “average of carbon dioxide emissions per person.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex sentences, particularly when contrasting countries with “whereas,” and the overall meaning can usually be recovered. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors are frequent enough to make several sentences difficult to read. Examples include “average of carbon dioxide emissions … showed upward trend,” which lacks necessary articles, and “in Sweden average … increased from 9 and reached 11,” where the verb pattern and comparison are incomplete. The sentence beginning “Overall” also joins several ideas without effective punctuation. Practise accurate article use, parallel verb structures and sentence boundaries. Shorter sentences would help you control these patterns while retaining some complex comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.