Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-06

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 both pie charts illustrate the ratio of students learning overseas languages and teacher noticing the reason in Britain.

Overall, it is clear that the foreign language is learned due to many reasons but the most applicable reason is business work and buying property overseas whereas least preferred reason is foreign partner.

In the first pie chart , It show the ratio of most common reason for students learning foreign language . Where travel occupied 33% of the whole data and being tye most common reason, additionally Business/ Work and Buying property overseas are also more preferred reason after the travel with 26% and 19% of whole data respectively. whilst social contrast,self development,general development and foreign partner are also common reason whith having least favorable reason with 7%,7%,5%, and 3% respectively.

Regarding Second pie chart, it shows the ratio of recently increased reason for learning foreign language by teachers.

In which , Buying property overseas has increased to 34% and became the most preferred reason. Hwile business/work reason drop to 19% and social contrast rose to 15 percentage . However travel became the least preferred in new dat and the is 15% having no change in data whereas personal development, foreign partner general interest are also the least favorable reasons.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by attempting to describe both pie charts concerning foreign language learning in Britain. However, the development of ideas is limited and some information is inaccurately reported or misinterpreted. For instance, the student states that travel occupied 33% and was the 'most common reason', while business and work was 26%, which is correctly identified, but other categories are mismanaged. Furthermore, in describing the second chart regarding recent increases, the interpretation is confused, stating incorrectly that travel became the least preferred in the new data and misreading figures. To move to a higher band, the writer must ensure a more accurate representation of the data across all charts without misinterpreting the specific categories or percentages provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic logical arrangement with an attempt to introduce the charts, provide an overview, and detail each chart in separate paragraphs. However, the progression is sometimes difficult to follow due to mechanical or faulty cohesion and awkward referencing. For example, phrases like 'Regarding Second pie chart' lack necessary articles and connective tissue. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within sentences is weak, leading to choppy or confusing transitions. To achieve a higher band, the writer should use cohesive devices more accurately and naturally, ensuring that each sentence flows logically into the next and that referencing between ideas is clear and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate vocabulary range to discuss the topic, employing terms such as 'ratio', 'preferred reason', and 'occupied'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form throughout the response, such as 'business work' instead of 'business/work', 'social contrast' instead of 'social contacts', and 'self development' instead of 'personal development'. There are also minor spelling slips such as 'tye' and 'whith'. These lexical errors do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the response to a lower band. To improve, the writer needs to expand their range of vocabulary and pay closer attention to precise collocations and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or poorly constructed complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with article usage ('The both pie charts', 'In the first pie chart', 'Regarding Second pie chart'), subject-verb agreement ('teacher noticing'), and prepositional phrases ('whith having least favorable reason'). Attempts at complex sentences often result in faulty structures and punctuation issues that place a heavier burden on the reader. To reach a higher band, the writer must increase the variety of error-free complex sentences and demonstrate better control over basic grammatical elements such as articles, plurals, and verb forms.

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

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