Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-19
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 percentage of British students who could speak other languages along with english in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, although majority of students were not able to speak other languages in both years, Spanish was the most spoken second language in 2000, which was replaced by another in 2010.
In 2000, nearly one-third of the students could speak only english, which is far more than the pupils who were able to speak spanish ( 20%). Moving further, German and two other languages were known by 10% of the sutdents, whereas French and other languages were spoken by 15% of them.
In 2010, the proportion remained almost the same for youth who were unable to speak second languages. Furthermore, one fifth of them responded for other languages, while Spanish, French and German were preferred by 10 % each. Lastly, 15% of the pupils could speak total three languages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying the key trends and making relevant comparisons between 2000 and 2010. You successfully highlighted the shift in the most popular languages and the stability of the 'no second language' category. However, the report lacks precision in data reporting. For instance, you mention 'two other languages' and 'other languages' without clearly distinguishing between the categories provided in the chart. Additionally, the description of the 2010 data is slightly vague regarding the 'total three languages' category. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are clearly linked to their respective categories and that the summary is more precise.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the two time periods. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 2000', 'Moving further', and 'Furthermore' helps guide the reader through the information. However, the progression of ideas within the paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition between the 2000 data points could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but the paragraphing could be improved by ensuring that the comparison between the two years is more integrated rather than just listing data chronologically. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey the necessary information about percentages and language categories. You use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'proportion', 'percentage', and 'preferred'. However, there are some inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing, such as 'other languages' being used multiple times in different contexts, which creates confusion. There are also minor spelling errors like 'sutdents'. To improve, try to use a wider range of synonyms for 'speak' or 'languages' and ensure that your terminology for the chart categories is precise and consistent throughout the report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of 'although' in the overview and relative clauses. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'majority of students' (missing the article 'the'), 'english' (should be capitalized), and 'responded for other languages' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally correct, but there are minor inconsistencies in spacing around parentheses. The errors present do not impede communication, but they do prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on article usage and consistent capitalization will improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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