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Cambridge 11 Writing Task 1 Test 3 - Sample Answers (Band 9 to 4-5)
Real band 9, 8, 7 and 6.5 sample answers for this prompt, plus a genuine band 4-5 answer so you can see exactly what pulls a score down. Every sample comes with examiner-style notes on Task Achievement, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
The Prompt
CO₂ Emissions per Person (1967–2007)
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.
Write at least 150 words.
The Data
Average CO₂ emissions per person (metric tons)
United Kingdom: 11.0 (1967) → 10.5 (1977) → 10.0 (1987) → 9.0 (1997) → 8.5 (2007)
Sweden: 9.0 (1967) → 10.5 (1977) → 7.0 (1987) → 6.0 (1997) → 5.5 (2007)
Italy: 4.0 (1967) → 5.5 (1977) → 6.5 (1987) → 7.0 (1997) → 7.0 (2007)
Portugal: 1.0 (1967) → 2.0 (1977) → 3.5 (1987) → 5.0 (1997) → 6.0 (2007)
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187 wordsIdentifies the convergence between the four countries' trends as the defining feature, not just a list of rises and falls.
The graph compares average carbon dioxide emissions per person in the UK, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.
Overall, the UK had the highest emissions per person throughout the period despite a steady decline, while Portugal, starting from the lowest point, rose consistently until it nearly converged with the other three countries by 2007.
The UK began the period with the highest emissions, at 11.0 metric tons in 1967, and declined gradually but steadily to 8.5 tons by 2007, remaining the highest of the four countries throughout. Sweden followed a less consistent path, rising initially to 10.5 tons in 1977 before falling sharply to 5.5 tons by 2007, the lowest figure among the four countries by the end of the period.
Italy and Portugal, by contrast, both started from much lower emissions and rose steadily throughout the four decades. Italy grew from 4.0 to 7.0 tons, levelling off after 1997, while Portugal's emissions rose most dramatically of all, from just 1.0 ton in 1967 to 6.0 tons in 2007, a sixfold increase that brought it close to Italy's level by the end of the period.
Examiner Notes
Task Achievement: Covers all four countries with a precise overview identifying the convergence between the declining UK/Sweden and the rising Italy/Portugal, which is the single most useful pattern in the data.
Coherence & Cohesion: A clear overview precedes detail organised by trend direction, with cohesive devices ("by contrast", "while") linking the countries naturally.
Lexical Resource: Precise, varied language ("converged", "levelling off", "a sixfold increase") used accurately throughout.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Wide range of accurate structures, including comparatives and passive forms, used with full control.
Band 8
158 wordsAccurate and clearly organised by trend, just slightly less precise in quantifying Portugal's rise than a band 9 answer.
The graph shows the average amount of carbon dioxide produced per person in the UK, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.
Overall, the UK and Sweden both had higher emissions than Italy and Portugal at the start of the period, but while UK and Sweden's emissions fell over time, Italy and Portugal's emissions rose steadily.
The UK started at 11.0 tons in 1967 and slowly decreased to 8.5 tons by 2007, staying the highest throughout the whole period. Sweden went up slightly to 10.5 tons in 1977, then dropped more sharply, ending at 5.5 tons in 2007, which was the lowest of the four countries by the end.
In contrast, Italy rose from 4.0 tons to 7.0 tons over the same period, staying fairly stable after 1997. Portugal had the lowest emissions at the start, just 1.0 ton, but rose the most overall, reaching 6.0 tons by 2007, which brought it very close to Italy's figure.
Examiner Notes
Task Achievement: Covers all four countries accurately with a clear overview identifying the opposite trends, though the closing convergence point is stated a little more plainly than in the band 9 answer.
Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised by trend direction, with "In contrast" marking the shift between the two pairs of countries effectively.
Lexical Resource: Good range of vocabulary for describing trends, though "rose the most overall" is slightly less precise than "a sixfold increase".
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Accurate throughout, with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures.
Band 7
157 wordsAll figures are correct, but the same two or three phrases describe every change in the data.
The graph gives information about carbon dioxide emissions per person in four countries, the UK, Sweden, Italy and Portugal, between 1967 and 2007.
Overall, the UK had the highest emissions for most of the period, but its emissions went down over time, while Italy and Portugal's emissions went up over the same time.
The UK started at 11.0 tons and went down slowly to 8.5 tons by 2007. Sweden went up a little at first, to 10.5 tons, but then went down a lot, ending at 5.5 tons, which was the lowest by 2007.
Italy started much lower, at 4.0 tons, and went up to 7.0 tons by 2007, staying about the same after 1997. Portugal started the lowest of all, at just 1.0 ton, but went up the most, reaching 6.0 tons by 2007. This means Portugal's emissions increased far more, in percentage terms, than any of the other three countries during the same forty-year period.
Examiner Notes
Task Achievement: Reports all four countries accurately with a basic overview, but the overview states the trends without connecting them into a single pattern the way a higher-band answer does.
Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised by country, though "went up" and "went down" are repeated many times throughout.
Lexical Resource: Adequate range for the task; figures are accurate but connecting language stays narrow throughout.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Generally accurate, mostly simple sentence structures; meaning is always clear.
Band 6.5
155 wordsThe figures are all correct, but agreement errors appear in almost every sentence.
The graph give information about carbon dioxide emission per person in four country, UK, Sweden, Italy and Portugal, between 1967 and 2007.
Overall, UK have highest emission for most of period, but its emission go down over time, while Italy and Portugal emission go up over same time.
UK start at 11.0 ton and go down slowly to 8.5 ton by 2007. Sweden go up a little at first, to 10.5 ton, but then go down a lot, end at 5.5 ton, which is lowest by 2007.
Italy start much lower, at 4.0 ton, and go up to 7.0 ton by 2007, stay about same after 1997. Portugal start lowest of all, at just 1.0 ton, but go up the most, reach 6.0 ton by 2007. This mean Portugal emission increase far more, in percentage term, than any of other three country during same forty year period, especially compare to Sweden which show opposite pattern.
Examiner Notes
Task Achievement: Reports all four countries accurately with a basic overview, matching the content of the band 7 answer.
Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised by country, following the same structure as the higher-band answers.
Lexical Resource: Limited by "ton" and "emission" being used without their plural forms throughout.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent subject-verb agreement errors ("graph give", "UK have", "emission go down", "UK start", "Sweden go up") appear in nearly every sentence.
Band 4-5 - What to Avoid
52 wordsAlmost no figures are given anywhere, and it closes by admitting the pattern is too confusing to explain.
This graph show CO2 for four country. UK have most CO2 at start, then it go down.
Portugal have very little CO2 at start, only 1, then it go up more and more.
Italy also go up. Sweden go up then down, this is confusing pattern I think, hard to explain why.
Examiner Notes
Task Achievement: Very few exact figures are given (only Portugal's 1967 figure of 1 is stated), no year-by-year detail is reported for most countries, and the closing comment ("this is confusing pattern I think, hard to explain why") is a personal reaction that has no place in a data report. At well under 150 words, the response is also underlength.
Coherence & Cohesion: Reads as a short list of vague remarks about each country rather than an organised comparison across the full forty-year period.
Lexical Resource: Vague, repetitive vocabulary ("go up", "go down") used without the specific figures given in the source data.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent errors throughout ("graph show", "UK have most CO2", "Portugal have very little CO2").
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