Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-12

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 given line graph shows the percentage of regular carbon emission individually in four different nations; UK, Sweden, Italy and Portugal over the 40 years, from 19967 to 2007.

Overall the carbon release was high in UK at initial step somehow Sweden represent high tendency of release in 1977.Eventually Portugal show a dramatic tendency by the year of 2007.

The carbon dioxide emission of United Kingdom was about 12 points in 1996 and a slightest decline was noticed by the year of 2007 about 8 points. Sweden jumps from about 8 points to about 10 points in the span of one year somehow show a gradually decline afterward to about 6 points.

Italy shows a dramatic rose in emission about 4 points to about 7 points. At last Portugal was low at first by about 1 percent in 1967 and got high in the year of 2007 by reaching about 5 points.

consequently UK outperformed among four countries by emitting more carbon while Italy and Portugal remained about lowest

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four countries and describe several broad trends, including the UK’s overall decline, Sweden’s rise to a peak followed by a fall, and Portugal’s increase. These are relevant features, but some reporting is inaccurate or unclear: the UK starts at about 11 tonnes, not 12, and Sweden’s rise from 1967 to 1977 spans ten years, not “one year.” Italy rises from about 4 to 7 tonnes and Portugal from about 1 to 5, but the final comparison that Italy and Portugal were “about lowest” is misleading: Italy ends at roughly 7.6, while Portugal and Sweden are both around 5.4. The overview also does not clearly summarise the main end-point ranking. Select the key comparisons more precisely and support them with accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and descriptions of the countries. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Overall” and “At last” attempt to signal progression. However, the sequence is not consistently clear: the overview’s “dramatic tendency” for Portugal is vague, and the final sentence repeats a comparison without resolving the earlier account. Some links are awkward or missing, as in “1977.Eventually,” while “somehow” does not express a clear relationship between ideas. Grouping the countries by trend—for example, declining emissions versus rising emissions—and using clear transitions would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “carbon dioxide emission,” “decline,” and “emission,” so the subject is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a graph. “Percentage” is incorrect because the figures are measured in metric tonnes per person, while “points” and “percent” are not suitable units here. Phrases such as “high tendency of release,” “dramatic rose,” and “outperformed” also obscure the intended comparisons. Aim for precise trend language and consistent units, such as “per-person emissions,” “rose,” “fell,” and “remained the highest.” This would make the account clearer and more appropriate to an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, but control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. For example, “Sweden jumps … somehow show a gradually decline” has problems with tense, subject–verb agreement, and sentence construction; “Portugal show” also needs agreement. The opening phrase “over the 40 years, from 19967 to 2007” contains an incorrect year, and punctuation is missing after “1977.” Most descriptions rely on basic sentence patterns, with limited accurate use of complex structures. Use past tense consistently for the historical data, check singular and plural verb forms, and separate linked ideas into complete sentences. More reliable sentence control would improve readability.

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