Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-17
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 graph describes carbon dioxide emissions per person of different countries from 1967 to 2007. In the last 40 years, the emission gradually reduced from 11 metric tons to 9 metric tons in United Kingdom. This is a huge achievement for UK, which is going towards a sustainable development overall. Although the curve is facing downwards, its still greater than every other country in the chart.
In the 2nd place we have Sweden. Until 1977, the emission rate increased from 9% to 10.5% in just 10 Years. In 1977, the rate is almost the same as UK, but after 1977, the rate declined dramatically and currently it is same as Portugal in 2007.
In the 3rd place, we have Italy. In the initial phase, the carbon rate was low, but over the time it increased gradually. Although from 1997 to 2007, it tried to control emission, and the emission stays stable. It is currently at the 2nd place after UK.
Finally we have Portugal. From 1967 to 2007, it was always in the last place. The initial carbon emission was low, but it increased dramatically from 1.5% to 5.5% in the last 40 years.
Overall, United Kingdom and Portugal stays in their initial place through out the whole time. But major differences are observed between Sweden and Italy which switch places after 1987.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the graph, but it suffers from significant inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, the student incorrectly labels the units as percentages ('9% to 10.5%') when the graph clearly shows metric tons. Additionally, the statement that Italy is 'currently at the 2nd place after UK' is factually incorrect based on the 2007 data, where Italy and Sweden are lower than the UK but higher than Portugal. The analysis is also somewhat subjective, such as describing the UK's reduction as a 'huge achievement' and mentioning 'sustainable development,' which is not required for an objective data summary. The overview is present but lacks precision.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with each country receiving its own section. This makes the information easy to follow. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'In the 2nd place', 'In the 3rd place', 'Finally'). While there is a clear progression, the transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall flow is hindered by the inaccuracies in the data reporting, which makes the comparison between countries confusing for the reader.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. The student uses basic descriptors like 'huge achievement' and 'low' or 'high'. There are also errors in word choice, such as using 'carbon rate' instead of 'CO2 emissions' or 'emission rate'. The misuse of units (percentages instead of metric tons) is a significant lexical error that impacts the accuracy of the report. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to data trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'its still greater' (should be 'it is'), 'through out' (should be 'throughout'), and 'the emission stays stable' (should be 'emissions remained stable'). Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are inconsistent, particularly when switching between past and present tenses to describe historical data. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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