Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-16

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 below illustrates 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.

Overall, there is seven reasons reported by the teachers. Travel was the most popular reason of learning foreign languages. While foreign partner accounted for the least popular. There was a little changes in the proportion of the reasons where we can see that travel experienced a significant decline. While buying property overseas increased to have the highest proportion among all the other factors.

Travel accounted for 33% which was the highest proportion. Following by business/ work with 26%.Then buying property overseas with 19%. Personal development and social contrast accounted for the same proportion with 7%. General interest and foreign partner accounted for the least popular with 5% and 3% respectively.

Regarding the second chart. Travel declined to 3%, business/work 19%. General interest had a slight increase to 6%.While buying property overseas experienced the most significant grow with 34%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main pattern accurately: travel is the leading initial reason at 33%, while buying property overseas is the largest reported recent increase at 34%. You also include several correct figures from the first chart. However, the report only partly covers the second chart: it omits the 4% for foreign partners, 15% for no change, 15% for social contacts and 4% for personal development, and does not clearly explain what the second chart measures. The claim that there were “a little changes” is also unclear, and “travel experienced a significant decline” risks implying a measured fall rather than teachers’ reports of recent change. The response is 143 words, below the 150-word minimum. Add a fuller account of the second chart and a precise overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the two charts. This helps the reader follow the broad comparison. However, progression is uneven because the second chart is only briefly covered, and the final paragraph lists a few figures without a clear comparison across all categories. Several linking choices are awkward or repetitive, including the sentence fragments beginning “While foreign partner…” and “While buying property overseas…”. “Regarding the second chart” also stands alone rather than connecting smoothly to the preceding paragraph. Use complete sentences and organise the details into clear comparisons, grouping the largest and smallest reported changes together.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “accounted for,” “proportion,” “declined,” and “significant,” and the topic is generally understandable. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “most popular reason of learning,” “a little changes,” “social contrast,” and “significant grow.” These errors make parts of the report less precise, especially when describing the categories and changes. “Following by” is also not the correct form for introducing the next figure. Aim for standard data-reporting phrases such as “the most common reason,” “a slight change,” and “rose markedly.” Check that category labels are copied accurately, as “social contacts” is the chart label.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “While,” but control is inconsistent. Agreement errors appear in “The pie charts … illustrates” and “there is seven reasons”; these should use plural forms. Some clauses are incomplete, such as “While foreign partner accounted for the least popular,” and “Following by business/work” is not a complete sentence. Punctuation and spacing also need attention, for example “26%.Then” and “6%.While”. These recurring errors sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear, although the main figures can usually be understood. Practise complete sentence patterns, subject–verb agreement, and punctuation around sentence boundaries.

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