Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-17
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 compare the proportions of British students at university in England who could speak other languages rather than English in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, Spanish had dominance in both periods of 2000 and 2010, while no other language students declined in 2010 by the margin of 10%. two other languages, and another language increased their contribution by 5% in 2010. German was the only language whose proportion remained the same in both eras.
In 2000 and 2010, Spanish remained the highest proportion, while there was only a 5% increase in 2010 and a move from 30 to 35%. French and another language had the same position at the start of the 21st century, but at the end of the first decade, another language outweighed French.
In contrast, the percentage of no other language students declines in the next ten years from 20 to 10%. Another language student showed a little increase of 5% at the end of the decade. German was the only language whose speakers remained same in both periods.
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, identifying the dominance of Spanish and the trends for other categories. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the statement 'no other language students declined in 2010 by the margin of 10%' is confusingly phrased and inaccurate in its interpretation of the data. While the key trends are identified, the comparison between categories is occasionally muddled, particularly regarding the 'another language' and 'French' categories. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are clearly linked to the specific years and that comparisons are logically structured to avoid ambiguity.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'Overall', but some transitions feel mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is occasionally unclear; for example, the phrase 'two other languages, and another language' is confusing and disrupts the flow of information. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the lack of precision in linking the data points makes the overall coherence feel slightly strained at times. Improving the variety of cohesive devices would enhance the readability.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe trends such as 'remained the same' and 'outweighed'. However, there is a lack of precision in word choice, such as using 'eras' to refer to two specific years, which is stylistically inappropriate. Some phrasing is awkward, such as 'no other language students', which makes the data difficult to interpret. There is limited use of less common lexical items, and the range is restricted to basic descriptive terms. To improve, the student should focus on more precise terminology for describing statistical changes and trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'Spanish had dominance in both periods of 2000 and 2010' and 'no other language students declined'. The use of articles and prepositions is inconsistent, and there are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'percentage... declines'). While the meaning is generally conveyed, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be highly beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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