Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The line graph below shows past and current overweight rates, as well as a projected future overweight rate in nine selected countries.

Summarise the infonnation by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Past and projected future overweight rates in selected OECD countries

Student answer (Band 5.0)

In the graph we can see how in some countries the weight of population increased exponentially and in some the change was not that noticeable. If we start with Korea, the population overweight increased slightly between the year 2000 and 2020, and the increase was approximately just 10%.

France and Italy saw a slight increase from 30% to 45%, which is approximately 15% increase in overweight population. For Austria, the increase in weight is slight and quite unoticeable. Spain has 10% increase in population overweight whereas, England and USA had a drastic increase between 1980 and 2020 in their overweight population from 45% to 70-73%. It is quite alarming as the rate of obesity is increasing rapidly over the years and a decline is nowhere to be seen.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the broad pattern of rising overweight rates and make some relevant comparisons, including the higher figures for England and the USA and the lower increase in Korea. However, the response only minimally covers the graph: it gives no clear overview of the countries’ relative levels, omits Australia and Canada, and describes several trends inaccurately. For example, Korea rises from about 25% in 1998 to 35% in 2019, rather than showing a small increase from 2000; Austria rises from roughly 39% to 46.5%, so calling its change “unnoticeable” understates it. The USA and England also do not both follow the stated 1980–2020 comparison. The response is 22 words below the required minimum. Select key features accurately and support them with a few well-chosen figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic sequence, moving from Korea to several European countries and then to Spain, England and the USA. Linking expressions such as “If we start with” and “whereas” help connect some comparisons. However, the information is compressed into one paragraph, with no distinct overview or clear grouping of the countries. The sequence of comparisons is difficult to follow, and the final comment about obesity being alarming shifts from describing the graph to giving an opinion. Some links also join several claims without showing their relationship clearly. Organise the response into an introduction, an overview of the main pattern, and one or two paragraphs comparing groups of countries; use linking words to clarify contrasts and changes over time.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonably varied set of terms for describing change, including “increased,” “slight increase,” “drastic increase,” and “decline,” and the main meaning is generally understandable. Some choices are imprecise or repetitive, however. “The weight of population increased exponentially” is not an accurate or natural description of the graph, while “unoticeable” is misspelled and “population overweight” is an awkward phrase repeated several times. “Alarming” introduces an evaluative tone that is not needed in an objective report. Aim for precise chart language such as “the proportion of people who were overweight,” and distinguish between a gradual rise and a steep one. Check spelling and use neutral, data-focused vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce several understandable sentence forms, including a conditional opening (“If we start with Korea”) and a contrast using “whereas.” Most sentences communicate the intended comparisons, but control is uneven. In “the population overweight increased,” the noun phrase is not formed correctly; “the proportion of the population that was overweight” would be clearer. The sentence beginning “Spain has 10% increase” is missing an article, and the long final comparison joins multiple country references in a way that makes the structure hard to track. Tense use also shifts between past (“saw”) and present (“has”) when describing historical data. Use consistent past tense for recorded figures and check articles and sentence boundaries.

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