Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The pie charts compare British students at a university in England who spoke an additional language in addition to English in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, highest proportion of British students had no ability to speak another language whereas German language had the lowest percentage during both years.
In the pie charts, no other language had greatest percentage at 30% and 35% in 2000 and 2010 respectively whereas German language was the least spoken language by British pupils at 10% in both years. In addition to German, two other languages also had the lowest proportion in 2000 at 10% whereas it observed 5% increase after ten years.
Furthermore, French and another language was at 15% each in 2000 but another language demonstrates 5% increase reaching at 20% in 2010. Even though, French had similar proportion as another language in 2000 but in 2010, it depicts a decline arriving at 10% of British students in England.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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, including the overall trends and specific data points for 2000 and 2010. You successfully identified the largest and smallest categories. However, the description is slightly hampered by unclear labelling; for instance, referring to categories as 'another language' or 'two other languages' makes it difficult for the reader to follow which specific data points you are referencing. To improve, ensure you clearly name the categories provided in the charts (e.g., Spanish, Two languages) rather than using vague descriptors. The overview is present but could be more clearly integrated to highlight the most significant changes over the decade.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression from the introduction to the overview and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'In addition to', and 'whereas' to link ideas. However, some of the referencing is mechanical or slightly confusing, particularly when you refer to 'another language' multiple times, which creates ambiguity. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow between sentences could be improved by varying the structure of your cohesive links to avoid a repetitive feel.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'percentage', and 'decline'. However, the lexical range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on repetitive phrasing such as 'another language' and 'similar proportion'. There are also minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'it observed 5% increase' (should be 'it saw a 5% increase' or 'there was a 5% increase'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and avoid repeating the same phrases to describe data changes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'highest proportion' should be 'the highest proportion', and 'French and another language was at 15%' should be 'were at 15%'. Additionally, 'it depicts a decline arriving at 10%' is slightly awkward phrasing. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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