Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-07

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 6.5)

The pie charts illustrate the percentage of British students at a college in England who were able to converse in other languages aside from English, in the years 2000 and 2010. Overall, those who could speak only English made up the majority of the collegians; while those who could speak German as well as English consistently made up the minority.

Students of the university only fluent in English made up 30% of the students in 2000 and increased to by 5% in the year 2010 making up the largest portion of students for the two years. Conversely, those who could speak German and two other languages both constituted the lowest percentage of 10 in 2000, although, those who spoke two other languages rose by 5% in 2010 while the German speaking portion remained unchanged.

Apart from the previously mentioned group of speakers, the students capable of speaking Spanish were the second largest proportion in 2000, however, they decreased by 10% allowing those who could speak another unspecified language to make up 20% despite just having 15% in 2000. Those who could speak French always made a small part of the population with 15% in 2000 and 10% in 2010.

To conclude, British students in this college were increasingly fluent in only English, and those who could speak German always made the smallest portion of the collegians.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview. You successfully identified the main trends, such as the increase in students speaking only English and the stability of the German-speaking group. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you stated that those speaking only English made up 30% in 2000 and increased by 5% in 2010; looking at the charts, the figure for 2000 is 30% and 2010 is 35%, which is correct, but your description of the 'two other languages' group is slightly confusing. Ensure that data points are cited with absolute precision to avoid misinterpretation of the visual information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, and you use cohesive devices such as 'Conversely', 'Apart from', and 'To conclude' effectively to link your points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the data. While the flow is generally good, some transitions between sentences feel slightly mechanical. To reach a higher band, focus on varying your cohesive devices further and ensuring that the relationship between the data points is always explicitly clear to the reader.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'conversant', 'proportion', 'constituted', and 'fluent'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is generally successful. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'collegians', which is not the most natural term in this context, and 'unspecified language', which could be phrased more precisely. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but a wider range of precise academic collocations would elevate the response to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'While those who could speak German as well as English consistently made up the minority.' Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'increased to by 5%' (an unnecessary preposition) and 'making up the largest portion of students for the two years' (which is slightly awkward). Punctuation is generally accurate, though some sentences could be tightened for better flow. The errors present do not impede communication, but more consistent control over complex structures is needed for a higher score.

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

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