Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-05

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 first pie chart illustrates the proportion of different reasons in learning a foreign language, reported by teachers in a survey in Britain. The second chart shows the percentages of a recent change in learners attitude in learning a foreign language.

Overall, the first chart showed travelling as a major reason for learning a foreign language compared with those who had a foreign partner. However, the second chart presented a change in people's interest. Recently, buying property overseas is a main reason compared with travelling.

In detail, the highest proportion constituted by traveller at 33%, followed by those who learned a foreign language for business or work at 26%. A moderate proportion at 19% made up by those buying property overseas. The smallest proportion was recorded by those learned for a foreign partner. For personal development and social contacts, people made up equally at 7%. For general interest, around 5% learned a language.

Recently, buying property overseas had the largest proportion at 34%, followed by those learned for work or business at 19%. The percentage of people who learned for social contacts grew and reached at 15% and there was no change in people's attitude at 15%. The lowest share was made up by tav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the task by describing the two pie charts. You have identified the main features and provided data to support your descriptions. However, the report is incomplete as it ends abruptly mid-sentence ('tav'). Furthermore, the comparison between the two charts is somewhat superficial. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide a complete analysis that synthesizes the data more effectively rather than just listing percentages. The overview is present but could be more clearly distinguished from the detailed body paragraphs. Ensure all parts of the prompt are fully addressed and the report is finished in its entirety.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'However', and 'In detail' to signal shifts in the report. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and the abrupt ending significantly disrupts the coherence of the final paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the two charts could be smoother. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through the data comparison.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'proportion', 'constituted by', and 'recorded'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'traveller' instead of 'travel' and 'people made up equally' which is slightly awkward phrasing. Additionally, there are spelling errors like 'tav' (incomplete). To achieve a higher score, try to use more precise collocations when describing trends, such as 'accounted for' or 'represented', and ensure you use the correct word forms (e.g., nouns vs. verbs) consistently throughout the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'proportion of different reasons in learning' (should be 'for learning') and 'those learned for a foreign partner' (should be 'those learning'). You also have issues with preposition usage and verb tense consistency. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall fluency. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice, which is essential for describing data in academic reports.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.