Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-07-29

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The pie charts below show responses by teachers of foreign languages in Britain to a survey concerning why their students are learning a foreign language. The first chart shows the main reason for learning a foreign language. The second chart shows how many teachers felt that there has been a recent change in the reason.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.

% of teachers reporting the following as most common reason for learning:

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The pie chart reports and compares the reasons of learning foreign languages. Overall, a major proportion of teachers consider traveling as a main reason for learning a foreign language. Due to recent changes is preferences, purchasing property overseas overtakes and considered to be a main reason by a greater number of teachers, which previously was second priority.

Moreover, a smaller proportions of teachers think personal development, social contacts, general interest and

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which severely impacts the task achievement score. Because the response is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence, it fails to address all parts of the task. While the student attempts to identify some trends, the lack of development and the failure to complete the report mean that the information is not fully presented or analysed. To improve, you must ensure you provide a complete overview, describe all key features of the data, and meet the minimum word count to allow for a full development of the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response shows some attempt at logical sequencing with the use of 'Overall' and 'Moreover', but the abrupt ending makes it impossible to evaluate the overall coherence of the report. The paragraphing is incomplete, and the flow of information is interrupted by the unfinished sentence at the end. To improve, ensure that each paragraph is fully developed and that you use a variety of cohesive devices to link your ideas smoothly throughout the entire report, rather than just at the beginning of sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for the task, such as 'reports and compares', 'major proportion', and 'overtakes'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'Due to recent changes is preferences' (should be 'in preferences') and 'considered to be a main reason' (which is slightly awkward). The range is limited due to the short length of the text. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary, including more precise collocations and academic terminology related to data description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex structures, but there are noticeable grammatical errors. For example, 'reasons of learning' should be 'reasons for learning', and 'Due to recent changes is preferences' contains a clear grammatical error. The sentence structure is generally understandable, but the lack of completion makes it difficult to assess your control over a wider range of complex structures. Focus on proofreading your work to correct basic errors in prepositions and verb forms, and try to incorporate more varied sentence patterns.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.