Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-27
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 chart illustrates the average emission of carbox dioxide per individual across some chosen countries of the globe for the period 1967 to 2007.At a glance a sharp increase in carbon dioxide emission can be seen in portugal throughout the whole period.Overall, the carbon dioxide emission in italy and portugal remained the highest while in United kingdom and Sweden it turned out to be in a controlled pattern.
Initially, the carbon dioxide emission in Portugal followed a constant trend till 1987 following a small fluctuation and then constant again.Simultaneously similar trend can be observed in Italy whereas the carbon dioxide emission reached a peak till 1977 followed by a sharp decline over the period.However the carbon dioxide emission in United kingdom showed a distinct pattern of slight decrease throughout the whole period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 133 words. While the student attempts to summarise the overall trends, the content contains significant factual inaccuracies when compared to the visual data. For instance, the text claims that carbon dioxide emissions in Italy and Portugal 'remained the highest' and that Portugal followed a constant trend, whereas the data clearly shows Portugal starting at a very low 1.2 metric tonnes and rising significantly, while the UK started the highest at 10.8 metric tonnes. Furthermore, the description of Italy's trend contradicts the chart. These inaccuracies and the under-length penalty result in a band score of 4.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into an introduction/overview paragraph and two body paragraphs, which shows an attempt at logical structure. However, cohesive devices are weak, repetitive, and sometimes misused (e.g., 'At a glance a sharp increase...'). Paragraphing is basic and punctuation spacing errors (such as missing spaces after periods) disrupt the flow. There is a lack of clear progression, and referencing between ideas is occasionally confusing. This performance aligns with the descriptors for Band 5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student attempts some task-relevant vocabulary such as 'emission', 'fluctuation', and 'decline'. However, there is a spelling error ('carbox' instead of 'carbon') and awkward phrasing such as 'turned out to be in a controlled pattern'. The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive, with frequent reliance on the exact same terms. Word choice inaccuracies hinder precise communication of the data trends, fitting the Band 5 criteria.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Overall, the carbon dioxide emission in italy and portugal remained the highest while in United kingdom and Sweden it turned out to be in a controlled pattern.' However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring missing capitalisations ('italy', 'portugal', 'United kingdom'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing. Errors occur frequently, though meaning is still partially recoverable, placing this in the Band 5 range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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