Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-12
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 charts below demonstrate 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.
Overall, it is evident that British students in 2000 who weren’t able to speak any languages accounted for the highest percentage. In 2010, it was the exact same with people with no other languages spoken being the highest.
To begin with, no other languages spoken seemed to be the highest, slightly lower was Spanish which represented 20 percent. Another language and French accounted both for 15 percent. Lastly, German and two other languages were 10 percent each.
Moving on, in 2010 no other language spoken was again the highest at 35 percent, another language took 20 percent, two other languages accounted for 15 percent. Finally, Spanish, French and German was at 10 percent respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. While you have identified the main features and provided data for both years, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview that synthesizes the trends. For example, you mention the figures for 2000 and 2010 separately but do not effectively highlight the significant shifts, such as the increase in students speaking 'no other language' or the decline in Spanish speakers. To improve, ensure you provide a more comprehensive summary of the trends rather than just listing data points, and ensure you meet the minimum length requirement to avoid penalties.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Moving on', and 'Finally' to transition between ideas. However, the progression of information is somewhat repetitive, and the referencing is occasionally unclear. For instance, the phrase 'it was the exact same' is vague. To reach a higher band, try to vary your cohesive devices and ensure that the relationship between the data points is more explicitly stated, rather than simply listing them in sequence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite repetitive. You frequently use phrases like 'accounted for' and 'was at', which limits the range of your expression. There is little attempt to use less common or more precise vocabulary to describe trends (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'experienced a decline'). To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of verbs and nouns to describe statistical changes, and ensure your word choices are precise. For example, instead of saying 'no other languages spoken seemed to be the highest', use 'the proportion of students speaking only English remained the most significant category'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that affect the flow, such as 'Spanish, French and German was at 10 percent respectively' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'accounted both for 15 percent' (word order). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that your sentence structures are varied and grammatically sound. Proofreading for small errors like missing articles or incorrect pluralization will also help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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