Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-26

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 7.5)

The pie charts compare the proportions of British students at a university in England who could speak languages other than English in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, the proportion of students who could not speak another language increased slightly over the period. Spanish and French became less common, while the proportions speaking another language or two other languages increased. German remained unchanged.

In 2000, 30% of British students could not speak any language apart from English. Spanish was the most common additional language, at 20%. French and another language were each spoken by 15% of students, while German and two other languages accounted for 10% each.

By 2010, the percentage of students who spoke no other language had risen to 35%. In contrast, the proportion speaking Spanish fell by half, from 20% to 10%. French also decreased from 15% to 10%, whereas German remained stable at 10%. The figure for students who could speak another language increased from 15% to 20%, and those who could speak two other languages rose from 10% to 15%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have provided a clear overview of the main trends and successfully selected and reported the key features from both years. The comparisons between 2000 and 2010 are accurate and well-supported by the data provided in the charts. The structure is logical, moving from a general summary to specific details, which ensures the reader can easily follow the information. You have successfully highlighted the most significant changes, such as the increase in students speaking no other language and the decline in Spanish speakers, which demonstrates a good grasp of the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is well-organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then two body paragraphs detailing the data. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'whereas', and 'while' are used effectively to link ideas and make comparisons. The referencing is clear throughout, and the paragraphing is logical and appropriate for this type of report. The flow of information is smooth, and the relationship between the different categories is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information accurately. Terms like 'proportions', 'remained unchanged', 'accounted for', and 'remained stable' are used correctly and appropriately for a data-reporting task. While the vocabulary is functional and precise, it is mostly standard. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated synonyms or varied ways of describing trends, such as 'experienced a decline' or 'witnessed a marginal increase'. Nevertheless, the language is natural and there are no errors in word choice or spelling that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response demonstrates a good command of grammatical structures. You have used a mix of simple and complex sentences effectively, such as 'The pie charts compare the proportions of British students... who could speak languages other than English'. The use of past tense is consistent and accurate throughout the report. Punctuation is used correctly, and there are no significant grammatical errors. The sentences are clear and well-constructed, showing a high level of control. To improve further, you could experiment with more varied sentence structures, such as using participle clauses to combine information more fluidly.

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

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