Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-24
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 illustrates the average carbon dioxide emissions per person in four different cities between 1967 and 2007.
Overall, the Italy had increased gradually and the lowest proportion had United Kingdom. In contrast the Sweden and Portugal meet at similar point.
In Portugal, started from 1% in 1967 and it rose gradually from 5% in 2007. In Italy it rise from 5% in 1967 and it steadily increased from 7% in 2007. Furthermore, the Sweden in 9% reached a peak at 11 % in 1977 and it decreased steadily and meet at the Portugal point in 7% at 2007. In contrast the Portugal and Sweden meet at a similar point of the year. United Kingdom had projected to rise at starting point in 11% in 1967 and it fell steadily in 9% in 2007.
Consequently, the two cities of average carbon dioxide emissions increased per person as compared to other two cities they had the lowest percentage.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response identifies the main features of the graph, such as the trends for the four countries. However, there are significant inaccuracies in reporting the data. For instance, the student refers to the countries as 'cities', which is a factual error. Furthermore, the data points are often misread or misstated, such as claiming Portugal started at 1% and Sweden reached 11% in 1977, which does not align with the provided graph. While an overview is attempted, the lack of precision in reporting the figures and the misidentification of the entities (countries vs. cities) prevent a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into paragraphs, but the flow of ideas is often disjointed. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'Furthermore', but they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a way that does not logically connect the sentences. The final sentence is particularly confusing and does not effectively summarise the information presented. The referencing is also unclear, as the student refers to 'the two cities' without clearly specifying which countries they are grouping together, making the progression of the argument difficult to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. The student relies on basic verbs like 'rose', 'increased', and 'fell'. There are also errors in word choice, such as using 'proportion' when referring to CO2 emissions per person, and the repeated misidentification of countries as 'cities'. The use of percentages to describe CO2 emissions (which are measured in metric tonnes) is also technically incorrect, indicating a lack of precision in handling the data-specific vocabulary required for this task.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Examples include 'the Italy had increased', 'the Sweden in 9% reached', and 'United Kingdom had projected to rise'. There is a lack of control over articles ('the Italy', 'the Sweden') and verb tenses. While the student attempts some complex sentence structures, they are often faulty, leading to confusion. The sentence construction is frequently awkward, and the misuse of prepositions and verb forms is consistent throughout the text.
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