Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-27

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 graph illustrates the average emission of carbon dioxide per person in four european countries from 1967 to 2007.

Overall, the two european countries, United Kingdom and Sweden, show the downward trend except in one decade from 1967 to 1977. However, the other two counries, italy and portugal, show upward trend.

Regarding the average carbon dioxide emissions in United Kindom, began from 11 percent approximately in 1967 and decreased slightly in a decade but the metric tonnes of carbon emissions per person of sweden increased significantly about 8 percent to above 10 percent. After this period both these countries reduced their level of carbon emissions per person and sweden reached on five metric tonnes approximately but the united kingdom hardly reduced one to two meteric tonnes of carbon emission

Moreover, the metric tonnes of italy and portugal continuously increased troughout the period. portugal reached on five metric tonnes where it met with sweden and italy just came close to the six percent in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad pattern correctly: UK and Swedish emissions generally fell, while Italy and Portugal rose. You also include useful comparisons, such as Sweden’s rise to just over 10 in 1977 and Portugal eventually catching up with Sweden. However, several details are inaccurate or unclear. The UK began at about 11 tonnes, not 11 percent, and its fall to about 8.7 tonnes is more than “one to two” tonnes only if expressed precisely; Italy ended at about 7.6, not close to six. The overview also says both northern countries declined except in one decade, but Sweden’s rise is better distinguished from the UK’s near-stability. Report the units consistently and select the key end-point comparison more accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the countries. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and transitions such as “Overall,” “Regarding,” and “Moreover” help signal the stages. However, the progression within the detail paragraph is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the long sentence beginning “After this period,” where the changes in Sweden and the UK are combined. The final comparison that Portugal “met with Sweden” is also not clearly expressed. Use shorter, more controlled sentences and group comparisons consistently—for example, describe the two declining countries together, then the two rising countries, with clear start- and end-point figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “average emissions,” “downward trend,” “increased significantly,” and “throughout the period,” so the main subject is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate: emissions are measured in “metric tonnes,” not “percent,” and “reached on five” and “met with Sweden” do not express the comparisons naturally. There are also spelling errors in “european,” “counries,” “Kindom,” and “troughout,” which reduce precision. Aim for accurate chart language and vary verbs such as “rose,” “fell,” “remained stable,” and “overtook,” while checking spelling and country names carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including contrast with “However” and time clauses such as “After this period.” Nevertheless, control is inconsistent, and several sentence structures are incomplete or faulty. For example, “Regarding the average carbon dioxide emissions in United Kindom, began…” has no clear subject for “began,” while “portugal reached on five metric tonnes where it met with sweden” has an awkward clause structure. Articles and prepositions are also often missing or misused, as in “in United Kingdom” and “reached on.” Punctuation and spacing are uneven, especially around the long sentence in the third paragraph. Build each sentence around a clear subject and verb, and check articles and prepositions when describing figures.

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