Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-13

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 given pie charts indicate the reasons why students in Britain study foreign languages, as the survey. All the figures in these pie charts are represented as percentages.

The first chart shows the main reasons for learning foreign languages among children, as reported by teachers. The most common reason for this is travelling, at about 33% of students, followed by business or work, at 26% of juniors, and then 19% of learners for buying property overseas. The least recommended reasons are foreign partners, at about 3% of students, followed by general interest, at 5%. Social contacts and personal development are the reasons for students, at only 7%.

The second chart shows the increase in reasons for learning a foreign language in this period, as recommended by teachers. The highest reasons are business or work, buying property overseas, social contacts, and no change, at about 19%, 34%, 15% and 15%, respectively. The lowest recommended reasons are travel, foreign partner, personal development, and general interest.

Overall, the highest reasons going low and least going high in both charts but general interest remain same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important features of the first chart, including travel as the leading reason (33%), business/work (26%), and buying property overseas (19%). However, the report only partly covers the task because the second chart is misinterpreted: it shows teachers’ reports of recent increases, not simply the reasons for learning “in this period.” You omit key figures for travel (3%), general interest (6%), and personal development (4%), and the closing claim that “general interest remain same” is unsupported; the chart gives 6% for an increase and 15% for no change overall. The overview, “highest reasons going low and least going high,” is unclear and does not accurately summarise the two charts. A clearer overview and accurate comparisons across both charts are needed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph for each chart, and a concluding overview. This makes the information reasonably easy to locate. However, progression is weakened by unclear links between ideas and by the final sentence, “Overall, the highest reasons going low and least going high,” which does not explain the comparison. The second-chart paragraph lists four categories and values, then names the remaining categories without figures, so the information feels incomplete rather than systematically organised. Grouping the largest and smallest shares, and using clearer transitions such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile,” would improve the flow. Ensure that the overview follows from the data rather than introducing a confusing generalisation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “foreign languages,” “business or work,” “buying property overseas,” and “social contacts,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several word choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing survey data. “Recommended reasons” suggests advice rather than reported responses, while “juniors” and “children” are not supported by the chart, which refers to students generally. “The highest reasons” is also an awkward way to describe percentages. Repeated use of “reasons” and “students” limits flexibility, and phrases such as “as the survey” are imprecise. Use terms such as “share,” “proportion,” “teachers reported,” and “increase” consistently to describe the categories and figures more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including longer sentences with comparisons and a concluding statement, and several sentences communicate the figures clearly. However, errors recur in sentence construction and agreement. For example, “The given pie charts indicate the reasons … as the survey” is incomplete or awkwardly formed, and “Overall, the highest reasons going low and least going high” lacks a finite verb and clear grammatical structure. In “general interest remain same,” the verb does not agree with its subject and the phrase needs an article. Some list sentences also have unclear grammatical relationships between categories and percentages. Practise complete overview sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and the structure used to attach figures to categories.

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.