Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-07

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:

% of teachers reporting the following as most common reason for learning:

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The pie charts illustrates the reaction of teachers teaching forgein languages in Britian on a survey regarding the motive of their students to learn a forgein language.The first pie chart shows the main reason while, the second pie chart shows the proportion of teachers reporting other factors.

Overall, in first chart travelling is seen as the main reason for students to learn non-native language and having foreign partner is the least main reason.In second chart oversease property is the main factor and travelling being the least important one.

To being with , in the first chart 33% pupil are studing language other than their mother tongue to travel overseas 26% for work purposes and 19% to buy property abroad.Only 3% pupil are studying just because their spouse is from other country.

Moving on to the next chart, 34% student's main purpose is to buy property overseas 19% for busines and 15% for socialisation.However, in contrast to first chart only 3% pupil are studying non-native language for travelling.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern in each chart: travel is the leading reason in the first, while buying property overseas is the largest reported recent increase in the second. Several figures are also accurate, including 33%, 26%, and 19% in the first chart and 34%, 19%, and 15% in the second. However, the second chart is misinterpreted: it reports teachers’ views about recent changes, not students’ “main purpose,” and it includes 15% reporting no change. You also omit some useful categories, such as general interest and personal development, and describe the first chart’s 3% as students learning because their spouse is foreign, rather than because they have a foreign partner. Covering the chart’s full scope and distinguishing its measures would make the report more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the two charts. Phrases such as “Overall,” “To begin with,” and “Moving on to the next chart” help signal the progression, and the reader can generally follow the comparisons. This coherent organisation is a strength. However, the overview and second body paragraph do not consistently distinguish the chart’s measure of reported recent increase from students’ reasons for learning, which weakens the connection between the data and the explanation. Some transitions are also mechanical, and the final “However, in contrast” comparison is not fully developed. Use more precise links between categories and explain the contrast directly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the charts, including “main reason,” “work purposes,” “buy property overseas,” and “least important.” This gives you enough language to communicate the broad topic. However, the range and control are limited, with repeated use of “reason,” “purpose,” and “pupil,” and several inaccurate or awkward choices. “Other factors” does not accurately describe the second chart, while “socialisation” is not the chart’s label, which is “social contacts.” Spelling errors such as “forgein,” “Britian,” “oversease,” and “busines” are noticeable and can distract the reader. Aim for accurate chart-specific terms and vary reporting verbs and nouns without changing the meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentence forms, including the overview’s contrast between the charts and the final sentence beginning “However, in contrast to first chart.” Nevertheless, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make parts of the report difficult to read. For example, “The pie charts illustrates” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “33% pupil are studing … 26% for work purposes” lacks a clear grammatical link between the figures. Articles and plurals are also often missing or inconsistent, as in “in first chart” and “3% pupil.” Punctuation and spacing around sentence boundaries need attention. Build clearer sentences, checking agreement, articles, and how each percentage is connected to its category.

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