Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-09

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 pie charts demonstarte the feedbacks by teachers of foreign languages in Britain regarding the reasons of their students for learning a foreign language and a recent shift in the reason. Overall, there are a number of common reasons reported by varied percentage of teachers followed by a percentage of teachers reporting the reasons for increase in number of learners.

One of the major common reasons for learning foreign language is travel being reported by 33% of teachers. The second most comon reason is business or work purposes which has been reported by 26% of teachers. 19% teachers have reported that peope learn foreign languages for buying property overseas while 7% for social contacts and 5% for general interest. Only 3% of teachers said that it is for foreign partners.

There is a 15% increase in people learning foreign languages for buying properties overseas. Whereas the percentage of business or work has decreased by 7%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main reason in the first chart accurately: travel at 33%, followed by business/work at 26%, and you include several other figures. However, the second chart is substantially misinterpreted. It reports teachers’ views of recent increases, not percentage changes in the number of learners: buying property overseas is 34%, not a 15% increase, while business/work is 19%, not a 7% decrease. The response also omits the 15% reporting no change and gives little or no coverage of personal development and several second-chart categories. The overview is vague and does not highlight the key contrast between the charts. To improve, summarise both charts accurately and compare their most notable results before adding selected details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, understandable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by details from the first chart and then a short paragraph about the second. This helps the reader follow the general topic. However, progression is limited because the overview does not state the main patterns, and the final paragraph contains only two claims rather than a balanced account of the second chart. Linking is also sometimes awkward or mechanical, as in “Whereas the percentage…” after a full stop, and the repeated “reported” phrasing makes the description less smooth. Organise the body around clear comparisons, and use linking expressions to show contrasts between the charts rather than simply listing figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing survey results, including “common reasons,” “reported,” “percentage,” and “increase.” These choices make the subject generally clear. However, the range is limited and several word-choice or form errors reduce precision: “feedbacks” is not natural here, “varied percentage” is unclear, and “increase in number of learners” incorrectly describes what the second chart measures. There are also spelling errors such as “demonstarte,” “comon,” and “peope.” Aim for accurate chart language such as “proportion of teachers,” “most commonly cited reason,” and “teachers reporting a recent increase.” Proofreading spelling and choosing precise collocations would make the report more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple sentences and more developed structures, including “while 7% for social contacts and 5% for general interest.” Most of the intended meaning can be understood, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “19% teachers” needs an article or a different construction, and “One of the major common reasons … is travel being reported” is awkwardly formed. The final sentence beginning “Whereas” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence fragment. There are also inconsistent plural forms in “foreign language” and “foreign partners.” Use complete sentences, check articles and number agreement, and practise concise patterns such as “Travel was cited by 33% of teachers.”

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