Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-20

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 line graph illustrates that carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions people consumed 4 different countries such as united kingdom , sweeden , italy and lastly portugal from 1967 to 2007 messure in metric tonnes ,

firstly , united kingdom had highest emissions in 1967 it's around 10. 5 metric tonnes on the other hand portugal had lowest it's 1.7 metric tonnes . sweeden had 2nd position and lastly italy had 4.1 mrtric tonnes .

secondly , in 2007 uk , and sweden reduce their uses carbon dioixide .

every country reduce carbon emissions but portuga and italy masively increases carbon emissions before they had below 2 tonnes but in 2007 it increse almost 5.9 tonnes . compare to another countries they dropped their carbon dixoide uses .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the topic, countries and time period, and you note that the UK is highest at the start while Portugal is lowest. However, the response gives only a limited account of the graph and has no clear overview of the main trends. Some details are inaccurate: Portugal starts at about 1.2 tonnes, not 1.7, and Italy starts at about 4.3, not 4.1. The claim that every country reduced emissions is incorrect: Italy and Portugal rose overall, while the UK and Sweden fell. The final comparison also confuses these directions. The response is 127 words, below the required 150. To improve, add a concise overview and accurately describe the contrasting trends, supported by key figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from the opening comparison to later changes, and markers such as “firstly” and “secondly” show an attempt to organise information. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the final paragraph says all countries reduced emissions, then says Italy and Portugal increased, and ends by suggesting the other countries dropped. These conflicting statements make the comparison difficult to follow. The response is also presented as one continuous block, with limited separation between an introduction, overview and details. Use clear paragraphs and group the countries by trend—for example, the two declining series together and the two rising series together. More precise linking would make the relationships between figures easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “emissions,” “metric tonnes,” “highest” and “lowest,” so the reader can recognise the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “emissions people consumed,” “reduce their uses carbon dioxide” and “carbon dioxide uses.” These expressions make the intended meaning less clear. Spelling errors, including “sweeden,” “messure” and “dioixide,” also weaken accuracy. Aim to use standard graph-reporting phrases and repeat key terms accurately rather than creating awkward alternatives. For example, describe emissions as “rose,” “fell” or “remained stable,” and say that a country “recorded” a particular level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect ideas in longer sentences, including with “on the other hand” and “but,” but sentence structures are limited and errors occur frequently. Examples include “the line graph illustrates that … emissions people consumed,” where the clause is not grammatically formed, and “united kingdom had highest emissions,” which lacks an article. Verb forms are also problematic in “every country reduce” and “it increse,” while the sentence beginning “compare to another countries” has an unclear grammatical relationship. Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, and several clauses run together. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled contrast clauses: “The UK’s figure fell, whereas Italy’s rose.”

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