Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-28

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 comparison of foreign languages in Britian according to the teacher's responses in percentage.

The first pie chart shows that the most common reason for learning is business/ work (26%) The second highest reason is buying property overseas (19%). The least percent is foreign partner (3%), whereas personal development and social contacts are on the same pase (7%), and general interest (5%).

In contrast, the second flow chart shows recent increase in people learning foreign language where buying property overseas rise with 34%, and second highest is business/ work (19%). Additionally, travel is not mentioned in first char, however in this it is there with 3%. Moreover, froeign partner and personal development shares the same percent 4%. Social contacts (15%), whereas general interest shows not much change with 6%, climbed with 1% only.

Overall, according to the both surveys the buying property and business/work are the main reasons of learning foreign languages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant figures, including business/work at 26%, buying property overseas at 19% in the first chart, and buying property overseas at 34% in the second. However, the report only partially covers the information and its overview is not fully accurate: the first chart’s leading reason is travel at 33%, not business/work, and the final statement incorrectly presents buying property and business/work as the main reasons across both surveys. The second chart reports perceived increases, not simply a second set of reasons, and includes 15% saying there was no change. Also, travel is shown in the first chart at 33%, so saying it is “not mentioned” there misreads the data. A clearer overview and accurate comparisons of both charts are needed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: it introduces the charts, discusses the first and then the second, and ends with an overall statement. This gives the reader some sense of progression. However, the organisation within the paragraphs is uneven, and the final overview does not clearly summarise the main patterns. Linking phrases such as “In contrast,” “Additionally,” and “Moreover” are used, but some connections are unclear or misleading; for example, “Additionally, travel is not mentioned in first char” conflicts with the earlier chart description. The sentence beginning “Social contacts (15%), whereas…” is also awkwardly connected. Group the key comparisons more clearly and use linking expressions only where the relationship between points is accurate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “most common reason,” “recent increase,” “general interest,” and “personal development,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the comparison of foreign languages,” “the least percent,” and “shares the same percent.” Spelling errors, including “Britian,” “pase,” and “froeign,” also reduce precision. In addition, “flow chart” is not the correct term for a pie chart. Use standard chart-reporting language and precise verbs such as “accounted for,” “was reported,” or “rose,” while checking spelling and avoiding repeated use of “reason” and “percent.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentence forms, including comparisons with “whereas” and clauses introduced by “where,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence structure and punctuation are visible in “business/ work (26%) The second highest reason…” and “Social contacts (15%), whereas general interest…,” where punctuation or clause structure is missing. There are also problems with articles and grammatical patterns, as in “according to the both surveys” and “learning foreign language.” Verb forms are sometimes inaccurate: “buying property overseas rise with 34%” should use a past or reporting form such as “was reported at 34%.” Most ideas remain understandable, but frequent errors make some relationships harder to follow. Practise complete, well-punctuated sentences and accurate verb forms.

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