Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-13

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 percentage of British students at one university in England who could speak other languages along with English, in 2000 and 2010. The data is measured in percentages.

Overall, in the both years, British students had not learned any other languages, while German language was spoken by the smallest number of students in 2000 and 2010.

To begin with, in 2000, the highest number of people were not able to speak any other languages, it was above a quarter. followed by Spanish, at 20%. French and another language learner had identical (one third). Germany and two other language learners also accounted for 10%.

Turning to 2010, number of learners increased slightly who have not learned any other languages and it made up 35%. the second most learned language was French (20%). Two other languages were spoken by 15% students, whereas Spanish, French and German recorded 10% which was a minimal percentage among the languages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, but there are significant inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you state that 'no other languages' was 'above a quarter' in 2000, while the chart shows 30%. Furthermore, you mention 'Spanish, French and German recorded 10%' in 2010, which contradicts the visual data provided. The summary of the main trends is present, but the lack of precision in reporting the figures prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure that every figure cited matches the source material exactly and avoid generalizations that are not supported by the data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with' and 'Turning to'. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'another language learner had identical (one third)', which is confusing to the reader. While the overall structure is coherent, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and occasionally inaccurate, which limits the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic descriptors like 'highest number' and 'minimal percentage'. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'another language learner had identical', which does not accurately describe the data. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to trends and proportions, such as 'accounted for', 'constituted', or 'a significant proportion'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'in the both years', 'number of learners increased slightly who have not learned', and '15% students'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several sentence fragments and missing capital letters at the start of sentences. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors indicates a lack of control over complex structures, which is characteristic of a band 5.5 performance.

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

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