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)

These pie charts show a comparison of the proportion of British students at a university in England, who were able to speak other languages besides English, in 2000 and 2010. Overall, the proportion of students who could speak no language other than English was higher in both years. The proportion of students speaking Spanish and French declined, whereas the German language figure remained unchanged .

In 2000, 30% of students could not speak any language besides English. The share increased to 35% in 2010, making it the larger category in latter years. Spanish second most popular language among in students, accounting for 20% of students , followed by French at 15%. Meanwhile, 15% students who spoke another unspecified language and 10% students were able to speak two other languages. Only 10% could speak German.

By 2010, the proportion of students speaking Spanish language had halved from 20% to 10% , while figure for French language also fell from 15% to 10%. Students who could speak two other languages increased from 10% to 15%, followed by those who speaks another unspecified language rose from 15% to 20%. German language speakers remained constant in both the years at 10% .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main features and provided a clear overview of the data. You covered all categories (no other language, Spanish, French, German, two other languages, and unspecified) and made relevant comparisons between the two years. The data is accurately reported, and the trends are clearly described. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview is even more distinct and that you avoid minor inaccuracies in data reporting, such as the slight confusion in the second paragraph regarding the 'larger category' claim, which is better handled by focusing on the most significant shifts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a logical progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'Meanwhile', 'By 2010', and 'whereas' to link information effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed data analysis. However, some transitions could be smoother, and there are occasional minor issues with referencing and sentence flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the second paragraph regarding the 'larger category'. Overall, the information is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'accounted for', 'remained constant', and 'halved'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'in latter years' (should be 'in the latter year') and 'the figure for French language also fell' (article usage). While you successfully use some less common vocabulary, there is room to incorporate more precise academic collocations to describe trends, such as 'witnessed a decline' or 'experienced a marginal increase'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, particularly with articles ('the proportion of students speaking Spanish language') and subject-verb agreement ('those who speaks another unspecified language'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some inconsistent spaces before periods. To improve, focus on ensuring consistent article usage and refining complex sentence structures to reduce these minor errors, which would allow for a higher score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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