Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-20

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 pair of pie charts enumerate the responses by tutors of foreign languages in Britain and depicts the primary reason for learning a language. while, teachers also reporting rise in inhabitants learning for certain reason. The data was measured in percentage.

At a glance, it is conspicuous that travel was the most common reason for learning a language, it had the highest percentile as compared to other common reasons, accounting for 38%, whereas foreign partner had the lowest ratio. Meanwhile, a slight decline was witnessed in property overseas & work, where the respective figures were 19% & 26% respectively. Interestingly, the identical percentile of 7% was observed in social contacts as well as in personal development, while general interest had only 5%.

When it comes to recent increases in people learning, Buying property overseas notched the top slot, constituting 34%, while bussiness occupied the second position with 19%. Meanwhile, a minute difference was demonstrated in foreign partner and travel, amounting to 4% and 3% correspondingly. The similar ratio was noticed in social contacts and no change. In contrast, general interest and travel witnessed a considerable fall of 6% and 3% simultaneously.

Overall, it is readily apparent that the upward trend was seen in travel as most common reason but it is quite reversed in recent increase,while general interest stood at last.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the charts and provided a clear overview. However, the report suffers from significant inaccuracies in data interpretation. For example, you state that 'travel' was the most common reason at 38%, which is correct, but your description of the second chart is confusing and misrepresents the data labels (e.g., 'no change' is treated as a category of increase). Furthermore, the summary in the final paragraph contradicts your earlier analysis. To improve, ensure you carefully distinguish between the two distinct datasets and avoid misinterpreting the labels provided in the charts. The report covers all parts of the task, but the lack of precision in data reporting limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'At a glance', 'Meanwhile', and 'In contrast' to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly misused, such as the transition 'while, teachers also reporting...' in the introduction, which is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult to track which chart is being discussed. Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words will help create a more natural and professional progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'conspicuous', 'accounting for', and 'notched the top slot'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors. For example, you use 'percentile' when you mean 'percentage' or 'proportion', and 'bussiness' is misspelled. The phrase 'the identical percentile of 7% was observed' is also slightly unnatural. To reach a higher band, focus on using vocabulary more precisely and ensure that your spelling is accurate. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and nouns related to data trends would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with punctuation, article usage, and verb agreement (e.g., 'the upward trend was seen in travel as most common reason'). The sentence 'while, teachers also reporting rise in inhabitants learning for certain reason' is a fragment and lacks a main verb. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary commas and missing spaces after some punctuation marks. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to impact the overall clarity of your writing.

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