Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-01

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 6.0)

The pie chart compares the percentage of British students who could speak several languages other than English at a university in England in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, the majority of students spoke in English in both years. The proportions of students who spoke Spanish, French, another language, and two other languages increased, whereas the percentge of students who spoke German decreased after a decade.

In 2000, the students who were able to speak English accounted for 30%, while very few students, approximately 10%, spoke two other languages. Spanish was the second most commonly spoken language among the students, at 20%. The proportions of students who could speak French and another language at a University in England were identical, at 15% each. German and two other languages followed the same trend, with both standing at 10%.

The proportion of students who were able to speak English increased by 5 percentage points over the next 10 years. Furthermore, the percentage of students who could speak another language and two other languages rose from 15% to 20% and from 10% to 15%, in that order. By contrast, other languages, such as Spanish, French, and German acccounted for 10%, with German remaining unchanged over the two years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have provided a clear overview and selected the main features of the charts. However, there are significant inaccuracies in your data reporting. For instance, you state that the percentage of students speaking English was 30% in 2000, whereas the chart indicates 20%. Furthermore, you claim that German remained unchanged, but the chart shows a decrease from 10% to 5%. These factual errors regarding the data provided in the prompt prevent a higher score. While you attempt to make comparisons, the misinterpretation of the visual information undermines the accuracy of your summary. Ensure you double-check the alignment between your text and the provided figures to improve your score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In 2000', 'Furthermore', and 'By contrast' to guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the initial data from the changes over time. The progression of ideas is generally clear, although the internal consistency is weakened by the data inaccuracies mentioned in the Task Achievement section. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a solid band 6.5 or 7.0 in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportions', 'accounted for', and 'percentage points'. There is some repetition of basic phrases such as 'the percentage of students who could speak'. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more varied ways to describe trends, such as 'witnessed a decline' or 'experienced a marginal increase'. While your word choice is generally accurate and does not impede communication, it lacks the sophistication and flexibility required for higher bands. Spelling is accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The pie chart compares...' and 'The proportions of students who could speak French and another language... were identical'. There are a few minor errors, such as 'percentge' (spelling) and 'acccounted' (spelling). Additionally, the phrase 'spoke in English' is slightly unnatural; 'spoke English' is preferred. Your control of grammar is generally good, and the errors present do not cause confusion or impede the reader's understanding. You have a sufficient range of structures to convey the information clearly.

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.