Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-04

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 given chart shows us the responses by the teachers on students learning foreign languages, the reason of their learning and how the teachers felt on this change.

The survey shows the reason for students learning foreign language, that 33% of the students learn foreign language in order to travel to the respective countries while 26% learn for buisness purposes. Around 19% students who invest in foreign properties have to learn different languages. The remaining 20-22% of the students learn foreign language for common purposes like foreign partner, personal development, social contacts.

The main reasons noticed by the teachers for students learning foreign language are business related in order to buy properties, business work and social contacts which makes up around 70% of the total students learning such languages, While 15% went with no change, 4% for foreign partners and 4% learned foreign languages for personal interests.

The conclusian is that most students who have business overseas, often travels to foreign countries, or the ones with personal interests prefer learning foreign languages

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the data, but it fails to clearly distinguish between the two separate charts provided. The first paragraph attempts to introduce the topic, but the description of the data is somewhat inaccurate. For instance, the second paragraph lists percentages that do not clearly align with the visual data provided in the prompt, and the third paragraph misinterprets the second chart by grouping categories incorrectly. To improve, you must ensure that the data points are accurately transcribed and that the two distinct charts are analyzed separately to provide a clear overview of the survey results. The conclusion is also a bit vague and does not effectively summarize the key trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes unclear due to the inaccurate reporting of data. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'The survey shows' and 'The remaining', but they are somewhat mechanical. Referencing is occasionally confusing, particularly when transitioning between the two charts. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more naturally and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that relates directly to the specific data being described.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are some spelling errors, such as 'buisness' instead of 'business' and 'conclusian' instead of 'conclusion'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors like 'learn' and 'reasons'. To improve, try to incorporate more varied and precise terminology related to data analysis, such as 'account for', 'constitute', 'a significant proportion', or 'fluctuate'. Using more sophisticated collocations will help demonstrate a better command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally hinder clarity. For example, 'the reason of their learning' should be 'the reason for their learning', and 'often travels' should be 'often travel' to agree with the plural subject 'students'. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage throughout your report.

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

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