Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-06

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 pie charts depict that the proportion of students speaking language other than English at the England University during 2000 and 2010.

Overall, it is apparent that, students who spoke Spanish in 2000 significant decreased by 10% In 2010. Concurrently, the proportion of students who knows "two other languages" grew the highest.

To commence with, the Spanish students proportion plummeted from 20% to 10% in 2000 to 2010. Afterwards, the French only people also fell from 15% to 10% during that time, it is evident that the interest for Spanish and French diminished. Whereas the speakers of German remain constant for 2000 and 2010 at 10%. In contrast, "no other language" students increased by 5% from 30% to 35%. then "another language" also rose from 15% to 20% showing growth of 5%. Finally, "two other languages" students soar by 5% showing great interest in more than 3 languages (including English). Noticeably, the students increased in some other language while plummeted in some other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts and makes relevant comparisons. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For example, you state that 'two other languages' grew the highest, but the data shows 'no other language' had a larger numerical increase. Additionally, the statement that 'two other languages' students soar by 5% showing great interest in more than 3 languages is confusing and not supported by the chart labels. While the key trends are identified, the analysis lacks precision in describing the data points, which prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Afterwards', and 'In contrast'. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions are used awkwardly, such as 'then "another language" also rose'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the final sentence where the summary is vague. Paragraphing is present, but the logical progression between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall readability of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'plummeted', and 'diminished'. However, there are instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'French only people' and 'the students increased in some other language'. These errors do not impede communication, but they highlight a lack of precision. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more natural collocations and ensuring that your vocabulary is used accurately in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the proportion of students who knows' (subject-verb agreement) and 'Spanish students proportion plummeted' (missing possessive). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some sentences starting with lowercase letters after a period. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent sentence structure.

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

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