Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-23

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 chart delineates percentage of students able to speak multiple languages apart from English. The charts portray data of 2000 and 2010.

Overall, it is evident that there were greater number of students who only spoke English in both years 2000 and 2010. German was the language in which students have least interest.

Students had greater interest in learning different languages in 2000 while this trend diminished in 2010. Due to various reasons proportion of French speakers declined in 2010 from 15% to 10%.

Proportion of students speaking German plateaued at 10%, whereas, Spanish speakers plummeted to 10% from 20% in year 2010. Apart from these common languages, two other languages and another language surged to 15% and 20% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the response. While you have identified some main features, the analysis is quite brief. You mention that French declined and Spanish plummeted, but you do not provide a comprehensive comparison of all categories across both years. The overview is present but lacks sufficient detail to fully capture the trends. To improve, you must ensure you reach the word count by providing a more thorough breakdown of the data, including specific comparisons between the categories and the years provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is abrupt. While there is a logical progression from the general overview to specific details, the lack of depth makes the overall flow feel disjointed. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'In contrast to this,' 'Furthermore,' 'Conversely') to connect your ideas more fluidly and improve the logical flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have used some appropriate vocabulary related to data description, such as 'delineates,' 'plateaued,' 'plummeted,' and 'surged.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'German was the language in which students have least interest' (should be 'had the least interest'). The phrase 'two other languages and another language' is also vague and repetitive. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and ensure that your word choices are consistently accurate and varied throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'greater number of students' (missing the article 'a') and 'in year 2010' (should be 'in the year 2010' or just 'in 2010'). Additionally, there are issues with tense consistency, such as 'students have least interest' when discussing 2000 and 2010. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall clarity. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will help improve your accuracy.

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

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