Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-17

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 two bar illustrate the proportion of teachers responses for their students learning a foreign language in Britain and the reasons for the recent increase in the reasons to learning language.

Overall, travel was the most reason to learn a foreign language, whereas having a foreign partner was the least common. In contrast, buying property overseas accounted for the largest share of teachers reporting for recent increase, while travel had the lowest percentage.

Regarding travel in the first pie chart, it accounted for the highest proportion, standing at 33%. This was followed by business and work which represented the 26% of the total share as second-highest in most common reason for learning. By contrast, buying property overseas was the third at 19%. On the other hand, personal development and social contacts were remained same with 7% each. In addition general interest and having a foreign partner were the least common reason to learn a ;language, standing at 5% and approximately 3% respectively.

In the most recent survey, main reason for learning language was buying property in foreign country with 34% which increased significantly as compared to previous. This was followed by social contacts which represented almost doubled in the recent survey, standing at 15%, whereas business and work dropped steadily by 7% and standing at 19%. However having a foreign partner marginally increased by 1%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, including the most common reasons and the reported changes. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you state that 'personal development and social contacts were remained same with 7% each', but the chart shows different figures. Additionally, the description of the second chart is slightly confusing regarding the comparison between the two surveys. To improve, ensure that you accurately transcribe the percentages and clearly distinguish between the two distinct charts provided. While the overview is present, it could be more effectively synthesised to highlight the most significant trends rather than just listing data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Regarding', and 'By contrast' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is interrupted by grammatical errors, such as 'were remained same'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two charts, which helps the reader follow the structure of the report. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensuring that referencing between sentences is precise.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'accounted for', and 'significantly'. However, there are several word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'most reason to learn' instead of 'most common reason' and 'the two bar' instead of 'the two charts'. Some phrasing is repetitive, and there are minor errors in word formation. To improve, focus on learning common collocations used in data description, such as 'a significant increase' or 'the largest proportion', and ensure you use the correct terminology for the visual aids provided.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'the two bar illustrate' (subject-verb agreement), 'reasons to learning' (preposition error), and 'were remained same' (passive voice misuse). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency of the report. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of verb tenses when describing data. Practising the construction of complex sentences with accurate punctuation would also help elevate your score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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