Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-15

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below shows the value of one country’s exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016. The table shows the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.

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

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The accelerating disappearance of species and broader ecological crises both represent critical challenges, yet their interconnected nature complicates simplistic comparisons. Proponents of species conservation rightly emphasize that each extinction triggers unpredictable chain reactions. The near-disappearance of bees in parts of Europe demonstrated how pollinator loss could threaten food security, given that 75% of crops require animal pollination. Similarly, coral reef collapses in the Caribbean have not only erased marine habitats but destabilized coastal economies reliant on fishing and tourism. These cases prove that preserving biodiversity isn't merely sentimental but pragmatically safeguards human systems.

However, prioritizing climate change as the paramount issue appears equally justified given its omnipresent impacts. Melting permafrost in Siberia releasing methane, intensified hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and prolonged droughts turning Mediterranean farmlands barren all illustrate how climate disruption transcends ecological niches to affect entire civilizations. Unlike localized species loss, atmospheric changes create global domino effects - a single coal plant's emissions might simultaneously bleach Australian reefs and flood Bangladeshi deltas.

Rather than competing for priority, these crises demand integrated solutions. Rewilding projects in Costa Rica show how restoring forests can both protect endemic species and sequester carbon. Kenya's adoption of solar-powered water pumps reduces fossil fuel dependence while preventing habitat destruction from energy infrastructure. This synergy suggests that framing environmental issues as either/or choices creates false dichotomies. Effective policies must address biodiversity collapse and climate change as facets of the same problem: humanity's unsustainable resource consumption. Only through systemic changes in energy, agriculture, and urban planning can we mitigate both crises simultaneously.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0

The response is completely off-topic. The task requires a summary of data provided in a chart and table regarding export values and percentage changes. Instead, the student has written an essay about environmental conservation, biodiversity, and climate change. As the response fails to address the prompt entirely, it cannot be assessed against the requirements for Academic Task 1. According to the IELTS criteria, a response that is completely unrelated to the task must be awarded a band score of 1.0 for Task Achievement, as it does not address the data provided or the instructions to summarize features and make comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

While the essay itself is well-structured with clear paragraphing and logical progression, it is entirely irrelevant to the task. The cohesive devices used, such as 'However' and 'Rather than', are used effectively to link ideas within the essay. However, because the content does not relate to the provided chart and table, the coherence is applied to an off-topic subject. In IELTS, if a response is completely off-topic, the criteria for Coherence and Cohesion are assessed based on the language produced. The writing is coherent in its own right, but it fails to fulfill the purpose of the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a strong vocabulary, using sophisticated terms such as 'interconnected nature', 'pollinator loss', 'pragmatically safeguards', and 'false dichotomies'. The range of vocabulary is quite high, and the words are used accurately within the context of the environmental argument. While the lexical resource is impressive, it is not being used to describe the data required by the task. Therefore, the score reflects the quality of the language produced, despite the failure to address the prompt.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The student displays a high level of grammatical control. There is a variety of complex sentence structures, such as 'The near-disappearance of bees in parts of Europe demonstrated how pollinator loss could threaten food security, given that 75% of crops require animal pollination.' The writing is largely error-free, with accurate punctuation and sophisticated syntax. The grammatical range is excellent, and the accuracy is high. This score reflects the student's ability to construct complex, error-free sentences, even though the content is not relevant to the task.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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