Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-10

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 4.0)

The given pie charts display data from a survey by britain teachers regarding their students learning foreign language; first reporting main reasons for learning a foreign language and second reporting how many teachers felt there was a recent increase in reason for people to learn foreign language

Overall, the main reason for learning forgein language wasnt travel as the teachers

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response2.5
Coherence and Cohesion4.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 2.5

The response identifies the charts as a survey about why students learn foreign languages, and it begins an overview by referring to travel. However, the overview is unfinished (“wasnt travel as the teachers”), so it does not communicate a clear finding, and no chart figures or meaningful comparisons are reported. The second chart, including the notable 34% for buying property overseas and 15% reporting no change, is not described. The response therefore addresses the task only minimally and leaves almost all of the information uncovered. It is also 90 words below the required minimum, which severely limits the opportunity to select and summarise key features. To improve, complete a clear overview and support it with accurate figures from both charts in a full report structure.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to introduce the visual information, followed by the start of an overview, so the reader can see an intended progression from introduction to summary. However, the response stops mid-sentence and contains no developed paragraphs or sequencing of chart details. The opening sentence is also overloaded, joining the two chart descriptions with a semicolon and then a loosely connected phrase (“first reporting… and second reporting…”). As a result, relationships between ideas are not clearly managed. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and one or two paragraphs comparing the main figures; use clear sentence boundaries and linking phrases such as “By contrast” where appropriate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “pie charts,” “survey,” “main reasons,” and “recent increase,” which makes the general subject recognisable. However, the range is very limited because the report ends before it can describe or compare the data. Several noticeable spelling and word-choice problems reduce accuracy: “britain” should be “British,” “forgein” should be “foreign,” and “reason for people to learn” is less natural than “reasons people are learning.” Aim to use precise reporting language such as “accounted for,” “was the most commonly cited reason,” and “teachers reported an increase.” Check spelling carefully and avoid repeating “reason” when a more specific expression is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a compound opening sentence and uses a participial construction (“first reporting… and second reporting…”), showing some effort to connect information. However, the sentence is difficult to follow because its structure is incomplete and the two chart descriptions do not form parallel, well-controlled clauses. The second sentence is also unfinished: “the main reason… wasnt travel as the teachers” has no completed comparison or clear grammatical ending. The apostrophe is missing in “wasnt,” and the opening phrase needs clearer article and plural choices, for example, “The pie charts show the results of a survey of teachers in Britain about their students’ reasons for learning foreign languages.” Use complete sentences and check that each clause has a clear subject and finished verb structure.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.