Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-27

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 illustrate the responses given by teachers of a survey which was conducted in Britain to know why pupils learn a foreign language. One chart depicts the reasons while other shows the recent changing in the reasons.

Overall, most of the students learn foreign language for travel and now the biggest changing in reasons is in the section of buying property overseas.

33% of the students learn foreign language for travel which is the leading reason for learning foreign language. This is followed by business or work 26% pupils learn international language for this purpose, while 19% learn for buying property overseas. Personal development and social contacts both accounted for 7%, while for general interest only 5% students learn foreign language. For foreign partner only 3% people learn internation language which is lowest proportion

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main reason accurately: travel leads at 33%, followed by business/work at 26%, and you report several smaller categories correctly. The overview also recognises that buying property overseas is the largest category in the second chart. However, the report addresses only the first chart in detail and does not explain what the second chart measures or compare its figures; for example, the 34% reporting an increase for property purchases and the 19% for business/work are omitted. The overview’s phrase “biggest changing” is also unclear about what changed. The response is 14 words below the required minimum, which contributes to the limited coverage. Include a concise comparison of both charts and clarify that the second chart concerns reported increases.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph giving details from the first chart. This helps the reader follow the basic account, and phrases such as “This is followed by” and “while” provide some linking. However, the progression is incomplete because the second chart is mentioned only in the overview and then not discussed. Several details are also crowded into one long paragraph, and the final sentence lacks clear punctuation, making the ending feel abrupt. Develop a separate paragraph for the second chart and use clear comparisons to connect its figures with the reasons in the first chart. This would make the organisation more complete and less list-like.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “illustrate,” “depicts,” “leading reason,” and “accounted for.” These choices show an attempt to use report-style language. However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “recent changing,” “biggest changing,” and “learn international language.” The repeated use of “learn foreign language” also limits the range, while “pupils” and “people” are less precise than “students” or “respondents” in this context. Spelling errors in “internation language” are noticeable. Aim for accurate collocations such as “recent increase,” “largest reported rise,” and “learn a foreign language,” and vary your wording without sacrificing precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more developed sentences, including “This is followed by business or work…” and a contrast using “while.” The main information is generally understandable, but errors in articles, sentence construction, and punctuation recur. For example, “why pupils learn a foreign language” would be more accurate as “why pupils learn foreign languages” or “why students are learning a foreign language”; “while other shows” is missing “the”; and “33% of the students learn…” is awkwardly structured for reporting chart data. The final sentence runs on without a full stop. Practise complete, controlled sentences such as “Travel was the most common reason, reported by 33% of teachers,” and check articles and punctuation when editing.

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