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 graph illustrates average carbon dioxide emission per person in four different countries United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007. Units can be meared in metric tonnes.

Overall, United Kingdom showed a downword trend, while Sweden showed an upword trend in began, then declined sharply. It is also noticable that both Italy and Portugal increased guardually and at the end of the period figure remained relatively stable.

At the beginning of the period, United Kindom stood at 11. It then decreased gradually to 5.5. In portugal figure began to 1, before rising sharply to 5.5 and figure remained stable.

In contrast, Italy began at 4.2 and subsequently increase to 7.8 and figer remained stable, but in Sweden figure start 8.8, before rising 10.2. After that, figure decreased sharply to 7 and then 5.8 and remain stable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the main features and trends of the graph, such as the overall downward trend in the United Kingdom and the increases seen in Portugal and Italy. However, there are several inaccurate data points cited in the body paragraphs. For example, the student states that the UK decreased gradually to 5.5 (whereas it ended at 8.7), and that Portugal rose to 5.5 (actually 5.4, which is minor, but other figures lack precision). Additionally, the word count is 140 words, falling short of the required 150-word minimum. This results in a penalty to the task achievement score for an incomplete length requirement and inaccurate data reporting.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division of ideas could be more logical. Cohesive devices are used to signal contrasts and sequences (e.g., 'Overall', 'At the beginning of the period', 'In contrast'), but referencing and linking are sometimes faulty or mechanical, such as repeating 'figure' multiple times without clear pronouns (e.g., 'and figure remained stable', 'After that, figure decreased'). Progression is discernible, but the overall logical flow is disrupted by abrupt shifts between data points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for a basic description of trends, employing words such as 'downward', 'upward', 'gradually', and 'sharply'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'downword' instead of 'downward', 'upword' instead of 'upward', 'meared' instead of 'measured', 'noticable' instead of 'noticeable', 'guardually' instead of 'gradually', and 'figer' instead of 'figure'. These errors indicate a limited lexical control and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as clauses introduced by 'before rising sharply' and 'while Sweden showed an upward trend'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including missing articles (e.g., 'in United Kingdom', 'In portugal'), missing prepositions, and tense/form inconsistencies (e.g., 'in began', 'figure start'). Complex structures are often faulty, and punctuation errors are present. These frequent errors occasionally impede smooth communication.

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