Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The pie charts depict distribution of a languages spoken by a native university students other than English in England in years 2000 and 2010.

Overall, number of students stopped learning and speaking dialects other language was decreased while students who spoke dialects other than Spanish, French, Germany, or two other languages combined is increased. It can be derived that students started preferring their native language over foreign dialects.

French, Germany, and Spanish language speaker decreased significantly from 15, 10, 20 in 2000 to 10, 10 ,10 in a decade. Furthermore, pupils, who preferred not to speak any other language increased to some extent from 30% in 2000 to more than a third of all in 2010.

However, Number of students, who was able to speak more than one language increased at a rate of 5% from 2000 to 2010. Additionally, Students who preferred one another language also increased with the similar rate as the one who spoke two languages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response provides a summary of the main features, but the analysis is hindered by inaccurate data reporting. For instance, you state that French, German, and Spanish speakers decreased from 15, 10, and 20 to 10, 10, and 10; however, the charts show these figures as percentages, and your interpretation of the data trends is inconsistent with the visual information provided. While you attempt to identify key trends, the lack of precision in reporting the data points prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure that you accurately transcribe the figures from the charts and use them to support your comparisons rather than making generalisations that do not align with the provided statistics.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', and 'However' to link ideas. However, the logical progression is sometimes disrupted by unclear referencing, such as in the phrase 'the one who spoke two languages', which is ambiguous. Additionally, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is somewhat mechanical. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that pronouns and references clearly point back to the specific groups of students mentioned earlier in the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. You use terms like 'dialects' and 'foreign dialects' incorrectly, as the charts refer to specific languages. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'Germany' instead of 'German' and 'distribution of a languages'. While the meaning is generally clear, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using accurate terminology for data description and ensure that you use the correct forms of adjectives and nouns (e.g., German language vs. Germany).

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently omit articles ('distribution of a languages') and struggle with subject-verb agreement ('Number of students, who was able to speak'). There are also errors in tense usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. To improve, pay closer attention to basic grammatical rules, particularly article usage, pluralisation, and subject-verb agreement. Proofreading your work for these common errors before finishing would be highly beneficial.

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