Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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:

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The pie charts in the picture illustrate the survey in which professor were asked that why their students want to learn foreign language.

Overall, the main reason in the first diagram shows that travel is the primary reason why students want to learn other language, followed by other reasons, however the 2nd diagram shows a drastic change in the ambition of students and it shows that students are now more interested in foriegn language because they want to buy an overseas property.

If we look closely to the first chart, it looks like 33% of students want to acquire a new language skill for travel, followed by 19% who want to buy overseas property, 5% for general interest, 7% for social contact, 7% for personal development and 3% for foreign partner.

However, there is a big change in interests now. Now, 34% of students are learning foreign language to buy an overseas property and 19% are doing it for their personal buisness or work. Students, who were learning foreign language for travel, are rare now, followed by other categories which were given above.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the leading reason in the first chart—travel at 33%—and correctly note that buying property overseas is the largest category in the second chart, at 34%. However, the report only partially covers the data and misinterprets the second chart: it records teachers’ views about recent increases, not the current reasons students have, so claims that students are “now” learning for particular reasons are not supported. The 26% figure for business/work in the first chart is omitted, and the second chart’s 15% reporting no change is not mentioned. The overview also says there is a “drastic change” without explaining the chart’s actual measure. Describe what each chart represents and compare the key figures accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs discussing the charts. This gives the reader a basic route through the report. However, progression is weakened by repetitive transitions and phrasing: “However” begins both the overview’s contrast and the final paragraph, while “Now” is repeated in the last paragraph. The reference to “other categories which were given above” is vague and does not clearly connect to specific data. More importantly, the paragraphs do not consistently distinguish the charts’ different meanings, which makes the comparison difficult to follow. Use clear topic sentences for each chart and link figures through precise comparisons rather than general references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing survey data, including “primary reason,” “followed by,” “drastic change” and “acquire a new language skill.” This shows an attempt to vary expression beyond simply listing figures. However, several choices are inaccurate or informal for an academic report: “professor” does not accurately describe the teachers surveyed, “ambition” is not the right term for reasons for learning, and “students are rare now” is an unsuitable way to describe a low percentage. There are also spelling errors such as “foriegn” and “buisness,” and repeated use of “want to” and “reason.” Choose precise chart-reporting terms such as “respondents,” “proportion” and “reported an increase,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and some longer structures, such as “Overall, the main reason … shows that travel is the primary reason why students want to learn other language.” This demonstrates an attempt to use subordinate clauses and comparisons. However, errors in sentence construction and grammatical patterns are frequent enough to make parts awkward or unclear. For example, “professor were asked that why” has incorrect agreement and an unsuitable clause pattern; “learn foreign language” is missing an article, and “Students, who were learning…” uses an unnecessary comma before the relative clause. The final sentence also has an unclear comparison structure. Practise accurate question/reporting clauses, articles with singular countable nouns, and punctuation around relative clauses; shorter, controlled sentences would improve clarity.

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

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