Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The charts 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.

In 2000, 30% of the students were able to speak English only. 20% of the students were able to speak Spanish in addition to English. 10% of the students were able to speak two other languages. 10% of the students were able to speak German in addition to English. The percentage of students who were able to speak French and who were able to speak another language in additon to English is same.

In 2010, percentage of English only speaking students were increased to 35%. The perecentage of German only speaking students remained same as comapre to 2000. While there is a decrease in proportions of Spanish and French speaking students in 2010. However, the proportions of students who were able to speak another language and two other languages were increased in 2010.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You report several relevant figures and trends, including Spanish falling from 20% to 10%, German remaining at 10%, and the shares for another language and two other languages increasing. However, the response has no clear overview of the main pattern, and it mislabels the 30% and 35% categories as students speaking “English only”; the chart means they spoke no other language besides English. The comparison that French and another language were “same” in 2000 is also incomplete unless you state both were 15%. The response is 135 words, below the 150-word minimum, which limits the detail and coverage. Add a concise overview and accurately compare the main categories across both years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is arranged in a generally understandable order: it first describes 2000 and then moves to 2010. This year-by-year structure gives the reader a basic route through the information, and phrases such as “In 2010” and “While” signal a change of focus. However, the first paragraph lists figures one by one rather than grouping related categories, and the second paragraph strings together several comparisons without a clear overview or hierarchy. The sentence beginning “While there is a decrease” is also left as a fragment. Group the categories that rose, fell, or stayed stable, and use complete sentences and clearer links to make the progression more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “proportions,” “percentage,” “decrease,” and “increased,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is repetitive, with “students were able to speak” used several times, and some choices are inaccurate or awkward: “English only speaking students” misrepresents the chart category, while “the percentage … were increased” is not a natural collocation. There are also spelling errors, including “additon,” “perecentage,” and “comapre,” which reduce accuracy. Use concise chart language and check spelling carefully. For example, describe the 35% group as students who spoke no other language, rather than “English only speaking students.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences communicate a basic comparison, and you attempt some variation through clauses beginning with “who” and “While.” However, the range remains limited, and errors occur in sentence structure, agreement, and articles. “The percentage of students … is same” needs an article and a suitable verb form, while “In 2010, percentage … were increased” has problems with both the article and subject–verb construction. “While there is a decrease…” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence, and “remained same as comapre to 2000” does not form a correct comparison pattern. Practise complete complex sentences and accurate comparative structures, such as “The proportion fell, whereas the figure for German remained unchanged.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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