Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The pie charts compare the proportions of British students at university in England who could speak other languages apart from English in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, Spanish was most popular in both 2000 and 2010, while the share of students who spoke no other language declined in 2010 by a margin of 10%. Speakers of two other languages and another language increased their contribution by 5% in 2010. German was the only language whose percentage remained constant in both eras.

In 2000 and 2010, Spanish remained the highest proportion, while there was only a 5% increase in 2010, and it fluctuated 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 by a dramatic increase of 5%. The contribution of multilingual students who spoke two languages rose significantly from 10 to 15%.

In contrast, the percentage of students who spoke no other language fell in the next ten years from 20 to 10%. The number of students speaking Another language experienced an upward trend and showed a slight increase of 5% at the end of the decade. The stake of German speakers remained stable in both periods.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main features and provided relevant comparisons between the two years. The overview clearly highlights the most significant trends, such as the popularity of Spanish and the decline in students speaking no other language. However, the report could be improved by ensuring data accuracy; for instance, you mention French and 'another language' had the same position in 2000, but the chart shows French at 15% and 'another language' at 10%. Additionally, the description of the 5% increase for Spanish is slightly confusingly phrased. Overall, you have covered all parts of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Overall', and 'while' to link ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different trends. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing of data could be smoother to improve the flow. The progression of ideas is generally clear, though the repetition of information regarding the 'another language' category in both the third and fourth paragraphs makes the structure feel slightly redundant rather than progressive.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information clearly, using terms like 'proportions', 'fluctuated', 'outweighed', and 'upward trend'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as using 'contribution' to describe language percentages, which is not the most natural collocation in this context. You also use 'stake' to refer to a percentage, which is slightly inaccurate. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the precision could be improved to reach a higher band. The vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The pie charts compare...' and 'In contrast, the percentage of students who spoke no other language fell...'. Most sentences are clear, and errors are infrequent. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'remained the highest proportion' (it should refer to the language, not the proportion) and 'at the end of the first decade' (which is slightly wordy). Punctuation is generally accurate, and your control of grammar is sufficient to ensure that your meaning is never in doubt.

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

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