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 constant in both eras.

In 2000 and 2010, Spanish remained the highest proportion, while there was only a 5% increase in 2010 and a surge 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 students who spoke no other language falling back in the next ten years was from 20 to 10%. Another language students experienced the upward trend and showed a slight increase of 5% at the end of the decade. German was the only language whose speakers remained stable in both periods.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, including the dominance of Spanish and the decline in students speaking no other language. However, the analysis is somewhat confusing in places. For instance, the statement 'no other language students declined in 2010 by the margin of 10%' is unclear and contradicts the data regarding the 'no other language' category. While the key trends are identified, the comparison between categories could be more precise. The overview is present but lacks clarity due to awkward phrasing, which slightly hinders the reader's ability to grasp the overall picture immediately.

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 'In 2000 and 2010', but they are sometimes used mechanically or in a way that creates confusion. For example, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is slightly repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow of ideas is occasionally interrupted by imprecise language, making the progression of the argument feel a bit disjointed at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe trends and proportions. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'outweighed' and 'dominance', which are used correctly. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'eras' to describe a ten-year period and 'no other language students' which is slightly ambiguous. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are understandable, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'no other language students declined' (which should refer to the category of students) and 'falling back in the next ten years was from 20 to 10%'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the awkward phrasing often makes the grammar appear more problematic than it is. The majority of sentences are clear, but the errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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