Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-13
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 proportion of British learners at particular university in England who were able to speak different languages in addition to English from 2000 to 2010.
Overall, it is evident that in above chart British students share the largest proportion, in the below chart after ten years United kingdom pupils who speak English number increased while others who speak different languages figure decreased.
In year 2000, British student accounted at 30% of total. Those learners who spoke Spanish in class about 20% at second number after English. Moreover, students of language French and another showed same figure about 15% in the university. Both Germany and two other languages spoke by university pupils were the lowest number about 10% respectively. In contrast the number of students by language changed in year 2010. By 2010, English and another language figure rose gradually about 35% and 20% respectively. While the French and Spanish language students number declined about 15 to 10% and 20 to 10%. However, the students who spoke two other language experienced growth about 10% to 15%. German language students number remained stable at 10%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response successfully addresses the main task requirements by summarizing the proportions of British students able to speak various languages in 2000 and 2010. The candidate attempts to report the main features and makes some comparisons, such as noting that English and another language increased while French and Spanish decreased. However, there are some inaccuracies and vague descriptions in reporting the exact data points (e.g., stating 'British students share the largest proportion' rather than focusing on English speakers). While key trends are identified, the development is somewhat limited and lacks precision in places, corresponding to a Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement, starting with an introductory sentence, moving to an overview, and then detailing specific data in the body. Paragraphing is attempted, though the body is compressed into a single, dense paragraph. Cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Overall', 'In year 2000', 'In contrast', 'By 2010'), but referencing and linking are sometimes awkward or mechanical, such as 'in above chart' and 'students of language French and another showed same figure'. Progression is present, but the organizational structure within the body of the essay lacks clarity and smoothness, placing it firmly at a Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to data reporting such as 'proportion', 'illustrate', 'rose gradually', and 'declined'. However, there are numerous lexical and collocation errors, such as 'United kingdom pupils who speak English number increased', 'language French', and 'two other language experienced growth'. Less common lexical items are attempted but often used inaccurately. Spelling is generally acceptable, but word choice and phrasing frequently feel unnatural and awkward, which aligns with the Band 5 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing introductory temporal clauses like 'In year 2000' and 'By 2010'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the text. There are frequent errors in article usage, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions (e.g., 'accounted at 30%', 'students of language French', 'German language students number'). Furthermore, awkward sentence structures frequently impede smooth reading. While the meaning is generally decipherable, the high density of structural errors prevents the essay from reaching Band 6, supporting a Band 5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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