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 both periods, Spanish remained the highest, while there was only a 5% increase in 2010, and it jumped 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 steady 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 proportion of German speakers remained stable in both periods.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully identifies the main features of the charts and makes relevant comparisons between 2000 and 2010. You have highlighted the most significant trends, such as the decline in students speaking no other language and the rise in Spanish and multilingual speakers. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. However, to reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are described with complete accuracy. For instance, you mentioned French and 'another language' had the same position at the start, but the data shows French at 15% and 'another language' at 10%, which is a slight inaccuracy in data interpretation. Overall, the task is well-addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group information effectively. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Overall', and 'In both periods' are used to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the trends. The progression of ideas is clear, though some transitions between sentences could be slightly more fluid to avoid a somewhat mechanical feel. Overall, the structure is sound and supports the clear presentation of the information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, including terms like 'proportions', 'remained constant', 'outweighed', and 'upward trend'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is generally successful. However, there are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'increased their contribution' or 'remained the highest' (when referring to a percentage). While these do not impede communication, refining these collocations would enhance the precision of your writing. The vocabulary is adequate for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You have used a variety of grammatical forms, such as 'The pie charts compare...' and 'The percentage of students who spoke no other language fell...'. While there are some minor errors, such as 'in both eras' (which is slightly unnatural in this context) and some awkward phrasing, the majority of sentences are error-free. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the grammatical errors present do not cause any difficulty for the reader. You have shown good control over the structures used.

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

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