Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-24

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 the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Overall, united kingdom is on the top of the countries in the emission of co2 per person and portugal shows flactuation in emission of co2 per person.

From 1967 to 2007 united kingdom gradually went down from 10.5 to 8.2 but remain in good range, but sweden shows good ratio from 1967 to 1977 reached around 10 and then suddenly fell and reached 4.9 .

Italy and Portugal shows the good ratio from 1967 to 2007 they went up and Italy in 2007 is around 8 and portugal is around 6.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the graph’s subject and include some relevant trends, such as the UK’s decline and the rise in Italy and Portugal. However, the overview is inaccurate: the UK remains highest, but Portugal does not fluctuate; it rises steadily. Several figures are also misreported: the UK ends at about 8.7, Sweden at 5.4, Italy at 7.6 and Portugal at 5.4, rather than the values given. The response is only 100 words, below the required 150, and this limits the detail and comparisons you can provide. To improve, give a clear overview of the contrasting trends, report key start and end values accurately, and compare Sweden’s peak and subsequent fall with Italy’s steady rise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing groups of countries. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and phrases such as “From 1967 to 2007” help establish the time frame. However, progression is limited because the country trends are compressed into long, loosely connected sentences, and comparisons are not developed clearly. Repeated use of “and” makes relationships between points difficult to follow, while “but” does not always signal a clear contrast. Use separate sentences for distinct trends and organise the details consistently—for example, declining countries first, then those that rose. Clearer linking and paragraph development would make the account easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “average carbon dioxide emissions,” “gradually,” “fell” and “reached,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph. “Good range” and “good ratio” do not communicate a clear trend, and “remain in good range” is not an appropriate description of the UK’s emissions. There are also spelling errors, including “flactuation” and “united kingdom.” Aim for precise trend language and accurate country names. For example, describe Portugal as rising steadily and Sweden as peaking before declining, rather than using vague evaluations such as “good.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You produce several understandable simple statements and attempt longer sentences using “but” and “and.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward. In “united kingdom is on the top,” the country name needs an article and capitalisation; “Italy and Portugal shows” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “they went up” shifts to the past without a clear need in this description. The sentence beginning “From 1967 to 2007 united kingdom gradually went down” also combines several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise accurate present-tense graph descriptions, subject–verb agreement, articles, and breaking complex statements into controlled sentences.

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