Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The pie charts illustrate the distribution of how many British students able to speak langugaes other than english at one university in England between year 2000 and 2010.
Overall, Most of the british students speak no other language accounted for the largest proportion in both years.Whereas german represented the smallest share. Meanwhile, Another language and two other languages slighty increased over the period. while remaining categories declined.
Turning to the details, No other language accounted for 30% in 2000, making it largest category. Its share increased to 35% in 2010. Similarly, Spanish represented 20% initially before falling to 10%. Although majority of the students speak no other language at university,While spanish language speak least of the students,
Another language accounted for 15% in 2000, before slightly rose to 20% in 2010. The proportion oftwo other languages increased 10% to 15%. By contrast, Frensh dropped from 15% to 10%. The percentage of german remained reatively stable.
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 trends for the categories provided. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting; for instance, you stated that 'No other language' accounted for 30% in 2000, whereas the chart indicates 35%. Additionally, the summary of the data is slightly disjointed due to the inclusion of incomplete sentences at the end of the third paragraph. To improve, ensure that all data points are transcribed accurately from the visual aid and that every sentence is grammatically complete to fully support your analysis.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Turning to the details', 'Similarly', and 'By contrast' to link your points. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by mechanical errors and awkward phrasing, such as the sentence fragment 'While spanish language speak least of the students'. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring consistent paragraph structure will enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'distribution', and 'represented'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'langugaes', 'slighty', and 'Frensh', which detract from the professional tone. Additionally, some word choices are repetitive, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise vocabulary that would elevate the response. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider range of synonyms to describe trends (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained constant', 'experienced a marginal rise') and ensure careful proofreading to eliminate basic spelling mistakes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'Most of the british students speak no other language accounted for' is grammatically incorrect, and there are issues with capitalization (e.g., 'british', 'german', 'spanish'). Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency also need attention, such as 'before slightly rose' instead of 'before slightly rising'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for capitalization and verb forms will be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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