Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-24

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 supplied pie-chart compares the reasons of learning foreign languages in terms of percentage in Britain in the current year.

Overall, it is readily apparent that travelling account for the largest proportion by a wide margin, whereas foreign partnership represents the small share. Additionally, Business or work and acquiring foreign properties stands out.

To begin with, travelling makes up 33% of the total, making it the most prominent component. Trailing by a noticeable margin behind is business or job, which contributes 26%. Moreover, 19% is accounted for purchasing properties abroad. Additionally, Social contracts and personal development contributes 7% on the chart. Finally, general interest only accounted for 5% contribution in the survey.

In second pie-chart, buying lands in foreign countries makes up about 34% in total being the most highlighting component. Trailing by a noticeable margin behind is firm or job, which accounts for 19%. In stark contrast, the remaining categories-namely travel, social contracts, personal development, general interests, foreign partnership and no change of decision accounted for 6%, 15%, 4%, 4%, 15% and 3% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of both pie charts and provided a clear overview. You included data to support your points, which is essential for Task 1. However, the report lacks a clear comparison between the two charts. To improve, you should explicitly contrast the data, such as noting that while 'travelling' was the primary reason in the first chart, it dropped significantly in the second. Additionally, ensure you accurately label the categories; for instance, 'social contracts' is likely 'social contact', and 'buying lands' refers to 'purchasing property'. Refining these details will help you reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'In stark contrast' to guide the reader. However, the transition between the two charts is abrupt. You could improve cohesion by using a linking sentence to introduce the second chart, such as 'In contrast, when teachers were asked about recent changes in reasons, the results shifted significantly.' The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to avoid a list-like feel.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'prominent component', 'wide margin', and 'stark contrast'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'social contracts' is likely a misuse of 'social contact', and 'acquiring foreign properties' is slightly awkward compared to 'purchasing property abroad'. Additionally, 'most highlighting component' is not standard English; 'most significant category' would be more appropriate. Expanding your range of precise reporting verbs and nouns will help improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors. For instance, 'travelling account' should be 'travelling accounts' (subject-verb agreement), and 'In second pie-chart' requires an article: 'In the second pie chart'. There are also minor punctuation and preposition errors throughout. To achieve a higher band, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and consistent use of articles. Your control of grammar is sufficient to communicate the data, but more error-free complex sentences are needed for a higher score.

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