Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The chart illustrates the number of British learners at single university in UK who were able to speak different languages in addition to English were measured in percentage, in the years 2000 and 2010.

Overall, the percentage of students who were not able to speak other language cover 30% of the chart in both years. However, the other language that were mostly spoken youngsters in the institute was French.

In the year 2000, the most of the scholars speak only English which was 30% however, the least spoken languages was German and two other languages. Moreover, the second spoken language was Spanish which was 20% and French which were spoken by 15% students.

In 2010, percentage of the British learners able to speak no other language was 35% which was increased slightly however, most uncommon languages are Spanish and French that both stood at 10%. In addition, German remains same over the ten years and two other languages were 15%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two years and report several relevant figures, including the rise in “No other language” from 30% to 35%, the fall in Spanish from 20% to 10%, and the unchanged German figure. However, the overview is not accurate: the share with no other language did not remain at 30%, and French was not the most commonly spoken additional language overall. In 2000, Spanish was highest among additional languages; in 2010, “Another language” was highest. Some key changes, especially the increase in “Another language” from 15% to 20%, are omitted. The response therefore covers the task only partially, with an overview and selected comparisons that are sometimes unclear or inaccurate. Focus the overview on the main shifts and compare the leading categories in each year.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2000 and 2010. This gives the information a coherent overall arrangement, and time markers such as “In the year 2000” and “In 2010” help readers follow the comparisons. However, progression is weakened when the overview says the no-other-language share was 30% in both years, then the final paragraph reports 35% for 2010. Some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly the repeated use of “however” to connect contrasting details. Grouping the figures by increases, decreases and unchanged categories would create a clearer comparison across years. Use linking words only where the relationship between ideas is precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “spoken,” “increased,” and “remains same,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing chart data. “The most of the scholars speak” and “most uncommon languages” do not express the intended comparisons clearly, while “cover 30% of the chart” is an imprecise way to describe a proportion. There is also repetition of “spoken” and “language.” Aim for precise terms such as “accounted for,” “share,” “most common,” and “least common,” and use category labels consistently. More accurate collocations would make the comparisons easier to interpret.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses linked with “which” and “however,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in articles and sentence structure, as in “at single university,” and in agreement and verb forms, as in “the other language … were mostly spoken” and “the most of the scholars speak.” The sentence beginning “Overall” also has an unclear construction, and “which was increased slightly” uses an incorrect passive form for a changing figure. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and subject–verb agreement, and build comparisons with clear patterns such as “Spanish fell from 20% to 10%.”

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