Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-06

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 illustrate the total carbon dioxide emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal from 1967 to 2007. Units are measured in metric tonnes.

Overall, the United Kingdom accounted for the highest carbon dioxide emissions per person over the period, while the Portugal experienced the lowest emissions before rose at the end of the period.

In 1967, carbon dioxide emitted by per person in the Portugal was approximately under 2 metric tonnes and the trajectory rose at around 5 metric tonnes by 1997. Then, emissions increased slightly to over 5 metric tonnes in 2007. In the Portugal, average carbon dioxide emissions in 1967 was over 4 metric tonnes, which surged at approximately under 8 metric tonnes by 1997 and remained stabled in 2007.

Regarding the United Kingdom, in 1967 the emissions per person was above 10 metric tonnes, which decreased slightly over the period. However,

it was under 10 metric tonnes in 1997 and slightly over 8 metric tonnes by 2007. The trajectory of the Sweden start just over 8 metric tonnes in 1967, after that it experienced a sharp increase at approxiamtely just over 10 metric tonnes in 1977. Finally, in 1997 it dropped to just 7 metric tonnes and under 6 metric tonnes by 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially, presenting some key features of the graph while containing notable inaccuracies and confusion regarding the data and countries. For instance, the writer confuses Portugal and Italy in the third paragraph, stating that in 'the Portugal, average carbon dioxide emissions in 1967 was over 4 metric tonnes', which actually describes Italy's data. While an overview is attempted, it is partially flawed by these mix-ups. To reach a higher level, the response needs to accurately report the main trends for all countries consistently without mixing up the subjects, and present a clearer, more fully developed summary of the key comparisons shown in the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some organisation evident in the division into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, but overall progression is lacking due to confusing country references and mechanical transitions. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, such as the abrupt shift 'Then, emissions increased slightly' or the fragmented sentence structure at the end of the text. Paragraphing is attempted, but the body paragraphs group information in a disjointed way, making the logical flow difficult to follow at times. To improve, the writer needs to ensure clear referencing so that the reader can easily track which country is being discussed, and use cohesive devices more naturally to connect ideas within and between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty. There are issues with word choice and form, such as 'before rose' instead of 'before rising', 'remained stabled' instead of 'remained stable', and the misspelling 'approxiamtely'. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'trajectory' and 'surged', these attempts are marred by inaccurate collocation or grammatical patterning. To achieve a higher score, the student should expand their range of vocabulary, ensure correct word forms are used, and pay closer attention to spelling and precise lexical choices when describing statistical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The line graph illustrate', 'the Portugal experienced... before rose'), incorrect prepositions ('emitted by per person'), and missing articles. For example, 'carbon dioxide emitted by per person in the Portugal was approximately under 2 metric tonnes' contains multiple errors in a single clause. To improve, the writer must focus on basic grammatical accuracy, particularly verb tense consistency, correct prepositions in data descriptions, and avoiding frequent structural errors that impede readability.

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