Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

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 the most widely spoken additional language in both years, while the share of students who spoke no other language declined substantially. Speakers of Spanish, two other languages, and another language increased, while German remained unchanged.

In both periods, Spanish remained the highest, while there was a relative 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 surpassed French with the difference of 10%. 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 significantly from 20% in 2000 to 10% in 2010. The proportion 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 7.0

The response effectively covers the main features of the charts. You have successfully identified the trends for each category and made relevant comparisons between 2000 and 2010. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant changes, such as the rise in Spanish speakers and the decline in students with no additional language. The data is accurately reported, and the comparisons between categories (e.g., French vs. 'another language') are well-integrated. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are clearly linked to the specific year to avoid any ambiguity, though your current approach is already quite strong.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that group information effectively. You use cohesive devices such as 'In both periods', 'In contrast', and 'while' to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different trends. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the referencing is generally clear. To improve, ensure that the transition between sentences is always natural; for instance, the phrase 'had the same position' could be phrased more precisely to describe the data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, using terms like 'substantially', 'surpassed', 'upward trend', and 'remained stable'. These choices are appropriate for an academic report. There is some repetition of the word 'proportion', and some phrasing is slightly mechanical, such as 'had the same position'. Using more varied synonyms for 'percentage' or 'share' would enhance the lexical variety. Overall, the vocabulary is precise enough to convey the information clearly without any significant errors in word choice or collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and your control over tense usage (past simple for data reporting) is consistent. There are minor issues with phrasing, such as 'with the difference of 10%', which would be more naturally expressed as 'a 10% difference'. However, these minor slips do not impede communication. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence variety is sufficient to maintain a good flow throughout the report.

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