Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-06

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 pie charts describe the change in most common reasons for learning a foreign language in Britian. It provides the information about the responses given by the teacher.

Overall, the most significant change can be seen in the decline for learning a language is travel. Additionally, there is a noticeable difference in the percentage of work and property related issues.

At a glance, it is abundantly clear that 33% population used to learn foreign languages mainly due to travelling. Moreover, 26% due to their work and 19% for dealing with properties. 7% choose to learn for their personal development and social contacts However, there were also other reasons like having foreign partners or general interest.

Moving further to the second chart, the reasons have changed over a period of time. Now, 34% people are learning languages as it helps them in dealing with properties. 19% are concerned to learn because of their business and work. 15% due to social contacts and very few due to travel and other personal interests.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the task by describing the two pie charts. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the data interpretation. You refer to '33% population' when the data refers to teachers' responses, and you misinterpret the second chart as a chronological change ('over a period of time') rather than a comparison of teacher perceptions. Furthermore, the data points provided for the second chart do not accurately reflect the visual information presented in the source. To improve, ensure you carefully distinguish between the subjects of the survey and the nature of the data (e.g., comparing reasons rather than implying a timeline). The overview is present but lacks clarity due to these misinterpretations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Additionally', and 'Moving further to', which assist in linking ideas. However, the progression of information is sometimes hindered by the inaccuracies in data reporting. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as when you mention 'property related issues' without defining the context clearly. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring that each paragraph has a clear central theme and that transitions between sentences are more natural and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision required for a higher band. You use phrases like 'property related issues' and 'dealing with properties', which are somewhat vague in the context of language learning. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as '33% population' instead of '33% of teachers'. To improve, try to use more specific terminology related to the data, such as 'proportion', 'segment', or 'category', and ensure that your collocations are accurate. The range is sufficient to convey the basic meaning but lacks sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the decline for learning a language is travel' (which is awkward) and '19% are concerned to learn because of their business'. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are instances where sentence boundaries are slightly confusing, such as the run-on 'social contacts However, there were also other reasons'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall flow. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage would be beneficial.

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