Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-02

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 4.0)

The line graph compares the average carbon dioxide exhale per person in United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.

Overall,at the beginning uk as well as sweden has the highest co2 emission whereas, Portugal has to face the lowest.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the chart’s subject, countries and time span, and your overview correctly notes that Portugal began at the lowest level while the UK and Sweden were among the highest. However, the response reports no figures and omits the main changes across the period, such as the UK’s gradual decline, Sweden’s rise and subsequent fall, and the increases in Italy and Portugal. The overview is also incomplete: by 2007 the UK remained highest, while Italy and Portugal had risen substantially. The response is only 42 words, so it does not meet the required minimum of 150 words; this leaves the task addressed only minimally. Add a fuller overview and select key comparisons with approximate values.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: a sentence introduces the graph, followed by a separate overview beginning with “Overall”. This gives the reader a simple starting structure, and the ideas remain related to the task. However, the response ends before any detailed description or comparison is developed, so there is no clear progression through the data. The overview is also compressed into one sentence, and the linking word “whereas” does not connect the contrast smoothly in its current punctuation. To improve, use a clear introduction, an overview, and one or two body paragraphs grouped by trends, with comparisons that guide the reader through the years.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “line graph”, “average”, “per person” and “emission”, so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the vocabulary is too limited to describe the data: there are no terms for trends such as rising, falling, peaking or remaining stable, and “carbon dioxide exhale” is an inaccurate collocation for emissions. Country names and “CO2” are understandable, but the phrasing “has to face the lowest” is unnatural and does not precisely describe a value. Build a task-specific range of accurate trend and comparison language, and use “emissions” consistently rather than “exhale”.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both a present-simple introduction (“The line graph compares…”) and an overview with a contrast, showing some basic sentence control. However, the structures are very limited, and errors in agreement and articles are noticeable: “uk as well as sweden has” should use a plural verb, while “in United Kingdom” needs an article. The opening also contains an unnecessary space in “from 1967”, and the comma after “Overall” needs a following space. The second sentence’s punctuation around “whereas” makes the contrast awkward. Practise accurate country-name forms and subject–verb agreement, then add varied sentences to report changes and comparisons clearly.

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