Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The pie charts illustrate the proportions of British students who were able to speak English as well as other languages at a university in England in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, it is evident that students who were unable to speak any other language accounted for the highest percentage in both years, while those who could speak two other languages accounted for the lowest percentage in 2000. In addition, Spanish and French had the lowest percentages in 2010.

In detail, British students who were unable to speak any other language stood at 30% at the university in England in 2000. French and another language each recorded 15% in 2000, whereas Spanish showed the 20% in the same year. Some students who were able to speak only German and two other languages both recorded 10%. In 2010, 35% of students spoke no other language. In contrast, a small number of students who spoke only Spanish, French, and German constituted 10%. The proportion of students who spoke another language was 20%. On the other hand, the percentage of students who spoke two other languages was 15%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the charts and makes relevant comparisons between the two years. You successfully identified the largest and smallest categories. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview that synthesizes the trends effectively. While you mention that 'no other language' was the highest in both years, you could have highlighted the shift in proportions more clearly. Some data points are presented as a list rather than a comparative summary, which limits the depth of the analysis. To improve, ensure you group information logically to highlight significant changes or stability over the decade rather than just reporting figures chronologically.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'In detail', and 'In contrast' to link sentences. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the connection between the data points could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate for a short report, but the internal structure of the second body paragraph is a bit disjointed, making it feel like a list of statistics rather than a cohesive narrative of the data trends.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportions', 'constituted', and 'recorded'. There is some repetition of basic verbs like 'spoke' and 'recorded'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied reporting verbs and nouns to describe the data, such as 'accounted for', 'represented', 'fluctuated', or 'remained stable'. The word choice is generally accurate and does not impede communication, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire of synonyms for 'percentage' and 'proportion' would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear, and the meaning is easy to follow. There are a few minor errors, such as 'showed the 20%' (the article 'the' is unnecessary here) and 'Some students who were able to speak only German and two other languages both recorded 10%' (the phrasing is slightly ambiguous). While you show control over basic grammar, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. Increasing the use of subordinate clauses or passive voice constructions would help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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