Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-03
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 first pie chart illustrates the main reason for learning a language, and the second chart shows how many teachers felt a recent change in the reason.
Overall, the majority of students learnt other language for travelling, while maximum students recently learnt a foreign language for buying property overseas.
To begin with, 33% teachers reporting travel is common reason and this figures decreased for business and work. 19% is accounting for buying property, only 5% and 3% teachers found that students learnt for general interest and foreign partner respectively. These figures for personal development and social contact were the smae at 7%.
Moving further, 34% teachers reported it for buying property, while these figures dropped to 19% for business. The percentage of foreign partner, personal development, social contact and no change were 4% and 15% respectively. These figures accounted 6% for general interest and 3% for travel.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While you have attempted to describe the data, the analysis is somewhat confusing. You have mixed up the data points between the two charts, and the reporting of figures is often inaccurate or unclear. For instance, you state that 34% of teachers reported buying property in the second chart, but the data provided in the prompt is not clearly interpreted. To improve, ensure you accurately transcribe the data and provide a clear overview that distinguishes between the two distinct charts. The under-length penalty is applied here as the response is 147 words.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical flow is hindered by the inaccurate reporting of data and the lack of clear cohesive devices. Transitions such as 'To begin with' and 'Moving further' are used, but they do not effectively connect the ideas because the underlying data interpretation is flawed. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow which chart or category is being discussed. To improve, use a wider range of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that follows a logical progression.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You rely on basic phrases like 'the percentage of' and 'these figures'. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'the smae' (spelling error) and 'these figures accounted 6% for general interest', which is grammatically awkward. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more varied vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'accounted for', 'constituted', or 'represented', and ensure that your terminology is precise. Avoid repeating the same sentence structures when describing percentages.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'majority of students learnt other language' (missing article), '33% teachers reporting' (missing preposition), and 'the smae' (spelling). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, these errors occur frequently and detract from the overall quality of the writing. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with articles, prepositions, and verb tenses.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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