Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-02
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 chart represents different language that british students are able to speak other than english in 2000 and 2010.
In the year 2000 the 20 percent of students speak spanish , 15 percent can speak french while 10 percent are able to speak german . The most share is of the students who are able to speak only english which is 30 percent along with 10 percent of two other languages and 15 percent of another language
In the year 2010 , the students percent of spanish and french both have decreased to 10 percent , two other languages have increased to 15 percent along with another language to 15 percent and the main area of no other language is increased to 35 percent
In conclusion the percentage of students who are able to speak other language is decreasing continuously as spanish decreased with 10 percent and french with 5 while german percentage remain same.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts, but the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you identify the key trends, the reporting of data is occasionally imprecise, such as describing 'the most share' or 'the students percent'. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide a clear overview that highlights the most significant changes between 2000 and 2010. You have attempted to make comparisons, but the structure of the data presentation is a bit repetitive. Focusing on grouping the languages by their trends (those that increased versus those that decreased) would provide a more analytical approach rather than simply listing the percentages for each year.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and mechanical. You rely heavily on simple transitions like 'In the year 2000' and 'In the year 2010'. There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas within and between sentences. Furthermore, the concluding paragraph introduces new information rather than summarising the main trends effectively. Improving the flow by using a wider range of cohesive devices, such as 'conversely', 'in contrast', or 'meanwhile', would significantly improve the logical progression of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You frequently repeat words like 'percent', 'students', and 'speak'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'the most share is of the students' and 'the main area of no other language'. To improve, try to use more varied terminology to describe data, such as 'proportion', 'figure', 'accounted for', or 'witnessed a decline'. Additionally, ensure you use accurate terminology for the categories provided in the charts. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and nouns will help you convey information more professionally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder clarity. For example, 'the 20 percent of students speak spanish' should be '20 percent of students spoke Spanish'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'the percentage of students who are able to speak other language' (should be plural 'languages'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring consistent tense usage when describing past data.
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.