Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-01

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 6.0)

The proportions given in pie charts reveal, why students of Britain are studying foreign languages. The first chart illustrates most common reasons of learning and the second chart shows recent changes increase in people learning foreign language.

In the first chart, most common reason was travel which accounted for 33 percent. Followed by reasons related to business/work accounted for 26 percent. For buying property overseas, the proportion was 19 percent. However, other reasons such as personal development, foreign partner, social contacts, general interest aggregately summed up for 22 percent.

Moreover, teachers reporting saw no change in 15 percent of the students, but the proportion of people who bought property overseas went from 19 percent to 34 percent overtaking the travel interest. Furthermore, there was decrease in business/ work reason from 26 percent to 19 percent. In contrast, travel proportion went from 33 percent to 3 percent making the smallest number.

Overall, the survey shows there were significant changes that teachers felt in motive of students learning languages. The ratios of travel, business work, and buying properties changed heavily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the task by describing the two pie charts. However, there is a significant issue with the interpretation of the second chart. The student incorrectly describes the second chart as showing a 'recent change' in reasons, whereas the chart actually displays the percentage of teachers who reported a change in their students' motivations. By misinterpreting the data, the student provides inaccurate information, which impacts the overall task achievement. While the key features of the first chart are identified, the failure to correctly interpret the second chart prevents a higher score. The overview is present but lacks clarity due to the misinterpretation of the data provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief overview. Cohesive devices such as 'In the first chart', 'Moreover', and 'In contrast' are used to guide the reader through the data. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by the inaccurate interpretation of the data, making the logical flow feel disjointed. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two charts, which helps the reader follow the structure. To improve, ensure that the transition between the description of the first chart and the second chart is more seamless and that the data points are linked more accurately to the categories provided.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the data points and trends. Phrases like 'accounted for', 'proportion', and 'aggregately summed up' are used correctly. However, there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'teachers reporting saw no change' and 'changed heavily', which lack precision. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. To reach a higher band, the student should aim to use more varied and precise collocations to describe statistical changes, such as 'experienced a decline' or 'witnessed a significant shift', rather than relying on simpler verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'reveal, why students' (unnecessary comma), 'most common reason was travel' (missing article 'the'), and 'teachers reporting saw no change' (awkward syntax). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. The control over punctuation and articles needs improvement. To improve, the student should focus on sentence construction and ensure that subject-verb agreement and article usage are consistent throughout the report.

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

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