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 show that the proportion of students speaking language other than English at England University between 2000 and 2010.

Overall, it is apparent that students who spoke Spanish in 2000 significantly decreased by 10% in 2010. Concurrently, the proportion of students who know "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 remained constant between 2000 and 2010 at 10%. In contrast, "no other language" students increased by 5% from 30% to 35%. Following the upgrade, "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 plummeting 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. You successfully identified the trends for the different language categories. However, the overview is slightly weak; while you mention the decrease in Spanish and the growth in 'two other languages', it lacks a broader summary of the overall shift in language proficiency. Additionally, there is a factual error in the final paragraph where you state 'two other languages' students soared by 5%, but the data shows an increase from 10% to 20%, which is a 10% increase. Ensuring data accuracy is vital for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Afterwards', and 'In contrast' to link your sentences. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. The referencing is generally clear, though the final sentence, 'Noticeably, the students increased in some other language while plummeting in some other', is vague and does not effectively synthesize the information provided in the preceding sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'plummeted', 'diminished', and 'constant'. However, there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'French only people' and 'the interest for Spanish and French'. The word choice is sometimes repetitive, and there are minor inaccuracies in collocation. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that your word choices sound natural in the context of describing statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as the missing verb in the opening sentence ('The pie charts show that the proportion... between 2000 and 2010' is a fragment) and the incorrect use of 'soar' (should be 'soared' for past tense). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction occasionally lacks the precision required for higher bands. Focus on subject-verb agreement and maintaining consistent tense when describing past data.

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

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