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 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 students, 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 a total of three languages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the charts and provided a clear overview. You included data points to support your descriptions, such as the 'one-third' figure for English-only speakers in 2000 and the '10%' figures for language preferences in 2010. However, the report could be improved by ensuring the data is presented more accurately. For instance, you mention 'German and two other languages were known by 10% of the students' in 2000, but the chart shows German at 10% and 'two other languages' at 10% each. Precision is vital in Task 1. Additionally, ensure you clearly distinguish between the categories to avoid ambiguity.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 2000', 'Moving further', and 'In 2010' to guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two time periods. While the flow is generally good, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To reach a higher band, ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid and that referencing (e.g., 'the pupils', 'them') is always unambiguous to avoid any confusion regarding which group is being discussed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'preferred', and 'responded'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing. For example, 'responded for other languages' is not a natural collocation in this context. Additionally, the phrase 'youth who were unable to speak second languages' is slightly awkward; 'students who were monolingual' or 'students who spoke only English' would be more precise. Expanding your range to include more varied reporting verbs and comparative structures would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the opening complex sentence and the use of 'whereas' to contrast data. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'although majority of students' (missing the article 'the') and 'one fifth of them responded for other languages' (which is grammatically unclear). Punctuation is generally accurate, though there is an unnecessary space before the parenthesis in '( 20%)'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Focus on article usage and subject-verb agreement to improve accuracy.

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

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