Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 grapth illustrates average contribution of carbon dioxide emission per person in the United Kingdome, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, in these 40 years, United Kingdom and Sweden have shown the improvement in lowering the CO2 emissions, while Italy and Portugal are contributing more emissions each passing decade.

In 1967, Portugal contributed 1 metric ton and it increased 1 metric ton per decade intill 1987.

In 1997 it was around 5 tonnes which increased marginally to 5.5 tonnes at the end of 2007.

Italy on the other hand was at 4 tonnes at the start of the year 1967 and went to around 6 tonnes per person after 10 years. It was increased by 1 metric ton every decade till 1997 and remained same till 2007.

Sweden started at 8.5 tonnes per resident and contributed 2 more tonnes till 1977. However it went drasticaclly down to 5 tonnes at the end of 2007

Uk started at 11 tonnes a

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad contrast between falling emissions in the UK and Sweden and rising figures in Italy and Portugal, and you include several relevant data points. However, the report is only partially complete: the UK is introduced at the end with “Uk started at 11 tonnes a” and its trend is not described, leaving one of the four countries without a usable account. Some figures and trends are also imprecise: Portugal rose from about 1.2 to 3.3 tonnes by 1987, rather than increasing by exactly one tonne each decade, and Sweden fell to about 5.4 tonnes, not 5. The overview would be stronger if it also noted that the UK remained the highest emitter throughout and that Italy and Portugal ended at similar levels.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, beginning with an introduction and overview before moving through country-by-country details. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “However” help signal relationships between points. Nevertheless, progression is weakened by the abrupt ending in the middle of the UK description, so the comparison is left unfinished. The country details are presented as separate short statements, with limited grouping or comparison across the series; for example, Italy and Portugal could be compared together as rising trends, while the UK and Sweden could be contrasted as declining trends. Some transitions are also awkward or repetitive. Organising the body into two clear comparison paragraphs and completing each trend would make the report easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “emissions,” “per person,” “per resident,” “marginally,” and “decade,” and the main subject remains understandable. There is some attempt to vary wording, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a graph: “improvement in lowering” suggests a positive judgement, while “contributed more emissions each passing decade” is an awkward collocation. Spelling errors such as “grapth,” “Kingdome,” “intill,” and “drasticaclly” are noticeable and reduce precision. Prefer neutral, standard trend language and check spelling carefully. For example, use “emissions fell” rather than “showed improvement in lowering,” and “rose steadily” rather than “contributed more emissions each passing decade.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and more complex sentences, including contrast clauses with “while” and “However.” However, errors are frequent, and some sentence forms are incomplete or difficult to interpret. “It was increased by 1 metric ton every decade” uses an incorrect passive construction; write “It increased by about one tonne per decade.” The sentence “Sweden started at 8.5 tonnes per resident and contributed 2 more tonnes till 1977” also gives the country an unsuitable grammatical subject for the action. Tense and agreement are inconsistent in “have shown” and “are contributing” when describing a finished historical period. The final UK sentence is incomplete. Use past simple consistently for the period and proofread each sentence for a complete subject–verb structure.

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