Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-31

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 graph illustrates the average amount of carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions per person in the europ counteries, namely United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, it can be seen that CO2 emissions decline in the United Kingdom and Sweden, whereas Italy and Portugal remaind upward trend. UK and Sweden remaind wide range of carbon emissions through out the period. While Portugal have lowest range at the beggining.

Looking at the details UK had the highest emissions approximately 11 metric tonnes in 1967 this figure is stable in 1977 but after gradually falling around 9 tonnes by the year 2007. Similarly, Sweden starten at 9 tonnes and and reached a peak over 10 in year 1997. However, this emission fall considerably at 5.5 tonnes in 2007.

In contrast, Italy showed increas in carbon emissions rising up rougly 4 tones in 1967 to nearly 8 tonnes in 1997, it remaind until 2007. Portugal also witnessed a significant rised, starting at over just 1 tonnes and increasing gradally at 5.5 by the year of 2007. The figure of Portugal and Italy had become relaitivly same at the and.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all four countries and identify the main contrast: emissions fell in the UK and Sweden, while Italy and Portugal rose. The overview also notes Portugal’s low starting point, and the figures you give are generally close to the chart. However, one important detail is inaccurate: Sweden peaked in 1977, not 1997, before declining. The statement that the UK and Sweden “remaind wide range” is unclear, and the final comparison would be stronger if it explicitly noted that Italy and Portugal ended at roughly the same level, while the UK remained highest. More precise selection and reporting of key turning points would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate detail paragraphs contrasting the declining and rising countries. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Similarly,” and “In contrast” help readers follow the comparisons. The progression is generally logical, but some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “UK and Sweden remaind wide range of carbon emissions” does not communicate a clear relationship, and “The figure of Portugal and Italy had become relaitivly same at the and” is difficult to interpret. Improve cohesion by making each comparison explicit and using clear references, such as “By 2007, the two countries had converged at about 5.5 tonnes.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “emissions,” “metric tonnes,” “decline,” “peak,” and “in contrast,” and you attempt varied language such as “witnessed a significant rise.” This gives you an adequate range for describing the graph. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “europ counteries,” “remined,” “increas,” and “relaitivly,” while phrases such as “remaind wide range” and “a significant rised” are not natural collocations or forms. These slips sometimes make the intended meaning less clear. Focus on accurate spelling and standard chart-description phrases, and choose verbs that precisely describe a trend, such as “remained stable” or “rose steadily.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses beginning “whereas” and “While,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. Examples include “Portugal have lowest range,” which needs subject–verb agreement and an article, and “Italy showed increas … rising … it remaind,” where the sentence structure and verb forms are faulty. There are also problems with articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries, as in “over just 1 tonnes” and the long comma-linked sentence about Italy. Practise building accurate sentences around one main trend, then add a correctly formed comparison or time clause.

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