Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-05

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 5.0)

The line graph illustrate the average carbon dioxide emissions in each person in four different countries of the UK from 1967 to 2007.

Overall, these trends can be attributed to sevral features. Portugal started to the least amont, and ended up to the figure in 2007. UK shows overall downward trend, wheras Sweden increased substantially and then declined at the end. Italy represnts overall upward trend.

Regarding Portugal, average carbon dioxide in each person rose approximately 1 metric tonnes in 1967, and then grew steadily

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify several relevant overall patterns: the UK declines, Sweden rises before falling, and Italy generally increases. However, the response addresses the graph only minimally. The description of Portugal stops after saying emissions “grew steadily,” and there are no details for the other countries beyond the overview, so the main changes and comparisons are not adequately reported. The phrase “ended up to the figure in 2007” is also unclear and does not state the important endpoint comparison: Portugal and Sweden both finish at about 5.4 tonnes. The response is 85 words, below the required 150. To develop the report, include key figures and comparisons across the period, especially the UK’s highest emissions and Italy’s rise to joint second place.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview beginning with “Overall,” and a detail paragraph beginning “Regarding Portugal.” This gives the reader some sense of how the report is organised. However, the progression is incomplete because the final paragraph ends mid-description, and there is no detailed coverage of Sweden, Italy or the UK. The overview’s phrase “these trends can be attributed to several features” does not clearly introduce the trends, while “ended up to the figure” makes the comparison difficult to follow. Use a complete paragraph for the overview, then organise the details by country or by contrasting trends, with clear links between the figures and comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant graph vocabulary, including “average,” “metric tonnes,” “rose,” “grew steadily,” and “downward trend.” These choices show an attempt to describe changes rather than simply list countries. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “in each person,” “started to the least amont,” and “ended up to the figure.” Spelling errors in “sevral,” “amont,” “wheras,” and “represnts” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise set of trend expressions and check spelling carefully; for example, describe emissions “per person,” say a figure “was the lowest,” and explain that it “rose to” a stated level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes some simple and compound sentence forms, and the overview attempts to express several trends in connected clauses. However, grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make the meaning unclear. In “The line graph illustrate,” the singular subject requires “illustrates”; “Portugal started to the least amount” has an incomplete grammatical construction; and “UK shows overall downward trend” is missing an article. The final sentence, “and then grew steadily,” is unfinished, leaving the reader without a complete account. Most sentences follow a basic pattern, with little evidence of controlled complex structures. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete sentences, then use a wider range of structures to compare changes over time.

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