Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-04

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 4.5)

Recently,A survey was conducted throughout Britain about why students are learning a new language the survey revealed that travel holds the highest percentage why people learn a new language that percentage goes to 33% whereas 26% of people learn a new language because of work or business followed by 19% of people learn it to just buy any property overseas,only 7% of people learn a language for personal development and 5% for general interest

However,another survey about what teachers think are the reasons of students to learn a new language tells a different story it says that the reason which holds the highest percentage in the previous survey,travel holds only 3% whereas people buying property rose to upto 34%.the survey says that 15% of people learn a new language for social contacts the funfact is general interest is the only thing on which both surveys agree

Reporter

MUHAMMAD DAYIM

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response only partially addresses the task requirements. Furthermore, the length requirement is not met, as the response falls short of the minimum 150-word count. The student attempts to describe the two charts, but misinterprets the data significantly in the second part. Specifically, the second chart illustrates the percentage of teachers reporting a recent increase in people learning for various reasons, but the student misreads this as showing a change in overall percentages (claiming, for instance, that travel dropped to 3% and property purchase rose to 34%). The overview is missing, and key features are inadequately selected and described. To reach a higher band, the writer must ensure an accurate interpretation of the data, include a clear overview of main trends, and meet the minimum word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organization, but no clear overall progression or effective paragraphing. The text relies on run-on sentences and a continuous block of text rather than well-structured paragraphs. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, or inaccurate, with heavy reliance on simple transitions like 'whereas' and 'however'. Reference words are sometimes unclear, and the lack of proper punctuation (such as missing full stops and capital letters at the beginning of sentences) disrupts the flow of information. To improve coherence and cohesion, the student should organize the report into logical paragraphs, including an introduction with an overview and body paragraphs with clear supporting details, while using cohesive devices more accurately and appropriately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, though it is minimally adequate to convey the basic subject matter. The student attempts some less common phrases like 'personal development' and 'general interest', but there are noticeable errors in word choice and phrasing, such as 'to just buy any property overseas'. Additionally, there are issues with word formation and informal colloquialisms like 'the funfact is'. These lexical errors and limitations mean the range of vocabulary remains basic. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary related to data reporting and trends, avoiding informal language and ensuring accurate collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences strung together with commas and run-on structures. There are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including severe run-on sentences such as 'travel holds the highest percentage why people learn a new language that percentage goes to 33% whereas 26%...'. Errors also include missing capitalization after full stops (which are frequently omitted entirely) and awkward grammatical patterns. These frequent errors cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the student must focus on sentence boundaries, punctuation, and incorporating a controlled mix of accurate simple and complex grammatical structures.

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