Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-28
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 5.0)
The charts below demonstrate the proportion of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, duration between the 2000 and 2010 year majority of student didn't know about other languages and they only speak English. Meanwhile, a few students can speak French or Spanish only.
In the first pie chart, British students mostly speak Spanish in the year 2000. However, in the year 2010 percentage of British students who were able to speak Spanish decline to ten percent only.
Additionally, if we talk about French during the year of 2000 fifteen percent of British student can speak French. However, with the passage of time the proportion drops to ten percent in the year 2010. Furthermore, now English is common among British students in England and it gradually increases in the year 2010.
In conclusion, many British students can speak other languages in past but with passage of time now in England the most common language is English and other languages can be used by few citizens.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the task by identifying the main features, such as the decline in foreign language proficiency. However, the analysis is hampered by significant inaccuracies in data interpretation. For example, the text claims that in 2000, students 'mostly speak Spanish,' whereas the chart shows Spanish at 30% and English-only at 20%. Furthermore, the conclusion contains a factual error by stating that many students spoke other languages in the past, while the data shows that the 'English only' group actually grew from 20% to 35%. The response lacks a clear overview of the trends, and the data reporting is inconsistent, which limits the effectiveness of the summary.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inappropriate, such as the phrase 'if we talk about French,' which is too informal for an academic report. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt. While there is an attempt to use linking words like 'however' and 'furthermore,' the overall flow is hindered by repetitive sentence structures and a lack of sophisticated logical connectors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'speak,' 'know,' and 'common.' There are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'duration between the 2000 and 2010 year' and 'other languages can be used by few citizens.' The range is insufficient to convey precise information about the data. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the presence of awkward phrasing prevent the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, the student should incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to trends and statistics.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'majority of student didn't know'), tense inconsistencies (e.g., 'many British students can speak other languages in past'), and missing articles. Punctuation is generally functional, but the overall control of grammar is weak. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader and indicate a lack of control over more complex structures. The writing would benefit from more careful proofreading to address basic errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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