Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-04
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)
Carbon dioxide gas plays a significant role in defining the environmental changes. With the increase in population, there is increase in emission of carbon dioxide, which results in making air quality extremely poor. Between 1967 and 2007, Italy and Portugal showed gradual increase in emissions of carbon dioxide. However, lines representing United Kingdom and Sweden showed a decline in CO2 emissions between same years as Italy and Portugal. Unlike Italy,United Kingdom and Portugal, Sweden didnot show a gradual increase or decrease in CO2 emission. Rather, there is a sharp increase of carbon dioxide emission between [redacted phone] and than sudden decline has seen between [redacted phone]. Change in average carbon dioxide emission showed that population has increased or decreased with respect to certain years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response fails to meet the minimum word length requirement of 150 words, stopping at only 122 words. Additionally, the task is only partially addressed. While the writer attempts to summarise some main features of the line graph—such as mentioning the upward trends in Italy and Portugal and the overall downward trend in the UK—the coverage is incomplete and lacks key comparative data points like specific peak and end figures. Furthermore, the inclusion of speculative commentary at the end regarding population changes demonstrates a misunderstanding of what the data actually represents, keeping the response at a minimal level of task fulfilment.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The organisation of the response is basic and lacks clear overall progression. The essay begins with a general opening statement, followed by body sentences describing individual country trends, but the lack of proper paragraphing and an overall structure means information is not arranged coherently. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, and sometimes misused, as seen with 'However, lines representing United Kingdom' and the abrupt transition 'Rather, there is a sharp increase'. Referencing and logical linking between sentences are faulty, which hinders the smooth flow of the text and makes the overall progression difficult to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The lexical resource is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic ideas about the graph. The writer attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'carbon dioxide emissions', 'gradual increase', and 'sharp increase'. However, there are noticeable word choice and spelling errors that detract from the quality, such as writing 'didnot' instead of 'did not' and awkward phrasings like 'than sudden decline has seen'. While the vocabulary used allows the reader to grasp the general topic, it lacks the variety, precision, and sophistication required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The grammatical range is limited, relying mostly on simple and basic complex structures, many of which contain frequent errors. There are notable issues with article usage and missing determiners, such as 'there is increase in emission' instead of 'there is an increase in emissions'. Punctuation and spacing errors are also present, as seen in 'Italy,United Kingdom and Portugal'. Verb tense consistency is occasionally flawed, and prepositional patterns within descriptions are weak. These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted control over grammatical structures.
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