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 the proportions of British 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 knew "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 soared 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
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts and makes relevant comparisons. You successfully identified the key trends, such as the decline in Spanish and French speakers and the rise in students speaking two other languages. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by inaccurate reporting of the data. For instance, you state that 'two other languages' soared by 5%, but the chart shows an increase from 10% to 20%, which is a 10% rise. Additionally, the phrase 'soared by 5% showing great interest in more than 3 languages' is confusing and not supported by the chart labels. More careful attention to the specific data points and labels is required to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Afterwards', and 'In contrast' to guide the reader. However, the use of some transitions is slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Following the upgrade', which does not fit the context of the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis. To improve, ensure that cohesive devices are used more naturally and that the progression of ideas between sentences remains smooth and logical throughout the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'plummeted', 'constant', and 'proportion'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'Spanish students proportion' is awkward; it would be better to say 'the proportion of students speaking Spanish'. The phrase 'French only people' is informal and imprecise. Additionally, the concluding sentence is vague and repetitive. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoid informal phrasing to better convey the data clearly and professionally.
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. For instance, 'speaking language other than English' is missing an article ('a language'). The sentence 'the Spanish students proportion plummeted from 20% to 10% in 2000 to 2010' is grammatically clunky and contains a slight redundancy. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on sentence structure variety and proofreading for basic articles and prepositions will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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