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 charts draw a comparison between the percentage of British students at a university who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 30% of the students had limited their language proficiency to only English. In 2010, this percentage increased to a whopping 35%. In 2000, 20% of the students could speak Spanish. However, this percentage dropped to 10% on the next decade. Even the statistics in French speakers witnessed a drop between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 15% of the students could speak French. However, in 2010, only 10% of the students could speak French. In 2000, 15% of the speakers could speak another language in addition to English. This statistic increased to 20% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of students who could speak two other languages increased from 10% in 2000 to 15% in 2010. Lastly, the percentage of students speaking German remained constant at 10% in 2000 and 2010.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all the data points provided in the charts and identifies the main trends, such as the increase in students speaking only English and the decline in French and Spanish speakers. However, the report lacks a clear overview paragraph that synthesizes the most significant trends. Instead, the information is presented as a list of individual data points, which makes the response feel mechanical. To reach a higher band, you should group the data more effectively—for example, by contrasting the languages that declined with those that increased—rather than listing each category chronologically. This would demonstrate a better ability to select and highlight key features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is coherent, and the information is organized logically. However, the paragraphing is insufficient; the entire response is written as a single block of text. A Task 1 response should ideally be divided into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs to improve readability and structure. While you use some cohesive devices like 'However' and 'Similarly', the transitions between sentences are somewhat repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words and using clear paragraph breaks would significantly enhance the flow and logical progression of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proficiency', 'witnessed a drop', and 'remained constant'. However, there are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'limited their language proficiency to only English' and 'on the next decade' (which should be 'in the next decade'). The word 'whopping' is also too informal for an academic report. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding informal intensifiers. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' would also help demonstrate greater lexical flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the grammar is generally accurate and communication is not impeded, there are minor errors, such as 'the statistics in French speakers' (should be 'the statistics for French speakers') and the preposition error 'on the next decade'. You rely heavily on simple sentence structures; incorporating more varied complex structures, such as relative clauses or participle phrases, would improve your score. Punctuation is generally correct, but the overall grammatical range is somewhat limited, keeping the response at a solid intermediate level.

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

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