Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22
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)
Our atmosphere is compose of different gases. Carbon dioxide is one of them. It mainly makes the 0.04% of the air. Animals and humans take oxygen and release carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Plants use carbon dioxide in photosynthesis to make glucose. Large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is harmful for human beings.
A survey shows that emission of carbon dioxide per person in Portugal is about 1.2 metric tonnes in the year 1967 and this level rises to about 5.3 metric tonnes in year 2007.
Carbon dioxide emissions per peson in Italy is approximately 4.2 metric tonnes in the year 1967 and this level rises to 7.7 metric tonnes in the 2007.
Moreover carbon dioxide emissions per person in Sweden is 8.3 metric tonnes in year 1967 and this value is about 5.8 metric tonnes in year 2007.
In 1967 carbon dioxide emissions per person in UK is about 10.8 matric tonnes and this level falls down to about 8.8 metic tonnes in year 2007.
We can conclude that carbon dioxide emissions per person in Portagal and Italy between 1967 and 2007 rises and on the other hand this level decreases in UK and Sweden.
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 student attempts to summarise the graph by reporting data for each of the four countries in individual sentences. However, the response begins with a lengthy and completely unnecessary introductory paragraph discussing general atmospheric facts, which wastes time and space. While the student selects and reports some main features and comparisons, the approach is very mechanical (listing individual data points for 1967 and 2007 for each country) rather than synthesising the information. Furthermore, there is no proper overview provided until a brief concluding sentence. The figures reported are generally close to the source data, but the lack of an integrated overview and the inclusion of irrelevant background information limit the task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into short, separate paragraphs for each country, which makes the text disjointed. There is a lack of sophisticated cohesive devices to link ideas together logically. The sequencing feels repetitive, as each paragraph follows the exact same formulaic structure. The introduction of general background facts at the beginning lacks logical connection to the data report that follows. Paragraphing is attempted, but it is not used appropriately for an effective academic summary.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The lexical resource is fairly basic and repetitive, relying heavily on phrases like 'carbon dioxide emissions per person', 'metric tonnes', and 'in the year'. There are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'compose' instead of 'composed', 'peson' instead of 'person', 'Portagal' instead of 'Portugal', and 'matric/metic' instead of 'metric'. The vocabulary is adequate for basic communication but lacks the precision, flexibility, and range expected for a higher band in an Academic Task 1.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the text. There are numerous basic grammatical and mechanical errors, such as 'makes the 0.04%' instead of 'makes up 0.04%', 'Large amount' instead of 'Large amounts', and subject-verb agreement issues like 'emissions ... in Italy is' instead of 'are'. Punctuation is also sparse, and spelling errors are frequent. These errors occasionally strain the reader, placing the grammar firmly in the band 5 range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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