Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-29
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 illustrate the different types of languages that are spoken by British students at one university in England in the years 2000 and 2010. Overall, it can be clearly seen that speaking Spanish was the dominant language in both years, while the proportions of British students who could not speak other language decreased at the end of the period.
To begin with, in 2000, speaking Spanish was very popular language among British students, with a high rate of 30%. Also, speaking French and another language accounted for 15%. The proportions of British people who can speak only German and two other languages stood at 10%. British students who were not able to speak other language rate was relatively increase at 20%.
On the other hand, British student's attendance to speak Spanish slightly increased in 2010, at 35%, which remained preferable language among British students. Another language rate climbed to one-fifth. Speaking German remained at the same level. No other language section dropped to 10% in 2010, which was a huge decline.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts and makes relevant comparisons between 2000 and 2010. You successfully identified the dominant language (Spanish) and the decline in the 'no other language' category. However, the report lacks precision in data presentation. For instance, you mention 'two other languages' when the chart likely refers to 'two languages' or 'other languages'. Additionally, the description of the 2000 data is slightly confusing, particularly the sentence regarding the 'rate' of students who could not speak other languages. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are clearly linked to the correct categories and that the terminology used accurately reflects the labels provided in the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a clear overview. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with' and 'On the other hand' to signal transitions. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'British student's attendance to speak Spanish', which makes the progression of ideas feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the connection between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive devices to link the data points more fluidly rather than listing them sequentially.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey the main points, using terms like 'dominant', 'proportions', and 'accounted for'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'relatively increase' (should be 'showed a relative increase') and 'attendance to speak Spanish' (which is not a natural collocation). The repetition of 'speaking' and 'rate' limits the sophistication of your writing. To improve, focus on using more varied reporting verbs and nouns related to statistical trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'a significant proportion'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that distract the reader. Examples include 'speaking Spanish was very popular language' (missing an article), 'British students who were not able to speak other language rate was relatively increase' (incorrect word order and verb form), and 'remained preferable language' (missing an article). These errors occur throughout the text. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles (a/an/the), and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with accurate tense and word order.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.