Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-29

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)

Overall graph shows the Carbon Dioxide omission per person across various countries from 1967 to 2007. Vertical numbers demonstrating the per tonnes carbon emitted while horizontal numbers representing the years. Portugal reported the lowest corbon emission of around 1.6 tonnes in 1967. Line demonstrates that emission metric increased continousl. Italy started at 4.1 tonnes moreover it also saw increasing metric till 1977 showing around 6.1 tonnes of carbon emisson. In 2007 Portugal and Italy shows 5.8 and 7.8 tonnes carbon emission respectfully. Sweden reported 8.3 tonnes and UK shows 10.4 tonnes at the start of 1967. Sweden reaches 10.1 tonnes in 1977 and then it saw continous decrease in emission amount. In 2007 Portugal and Sweden both were at the same amount of around 4.8 tonnes. According to the graph UK recorded the highest carbon emission each year with 10.2, 10, 9.8, 8.6 tonnes in 1977, 1987, 1997 and 2007 respectfully.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student covers most parts of the task by reporting the main trends and making some comparisons between countries, such as noting that the UK had the highest emissions and Portugal started at the lowest. However, there are some inaccuracies in the reported figures compared to the reference data, such as claiming that in 2007 Portugal and Sweden were at the same amount of around 4.8 tonnes (the actual figures were roughly 5.4 and 5.4, or 4.8 in a different year context). Furthermore, the response is presented as a single dense block of text without a clear overview paragraph, which impacts the overall selection and reporting of main features. This performance aligns best with Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is written as a single paragraph, lacking proper paragraphing to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes awkward, such as starting sentences with repetitive transitional phrases or disjointed markers like 'moreover'. There is no clear overall progression guiding the reader through the data logically. Reference words and pronoun usage are occasionally unclear, making the flow somewhat mechanical and difficult to follow. These features reflect Band 5.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for describing data, including words like 'emission', 'metric', and 'increase'. However, there are numerous lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'omission' instead of 'emission', 'corbon' instead of 'carbon', 'continousl' instead of 'continuously', and 'respectfully' instead of 'respectively'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally cause mild confusion for the reader, fitting the Band 5 descriptor profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many sentences suffer from grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. Examples include 'Vertical numbers demonstrating the per tonnes carbon emitted while horizontal numbers representing the years' (missing main verbs) and 'Sweden reaches 10.1 tonnes in 1977 and then it saw continous decrease'. Punctuation and article usage are also weak throughout. Frequent errors in grammar and structure cause some difficulty for the reader, placing this response firmly in Band 5.0.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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