Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The charts below represent the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak another language in addition to English in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, the highest percentages of British students are not able to speak any other languages other than English in both years. In addition, the percentage of students who could speak Spanish increased, while the figures for French and German remained relatively stable.
Firstly, 30 to 35% of British students were not able to use other languages in the years 2000 and 2010. However, the students contained 15% knowledge of the French language in 2000 and another language. While German and two other languages remained steady at 10% in 2000. Furthermore, 20% of British students are able to speak Spanish languages, respectively.
Secondly, the proportion of students who could not speak any additional language had risen significantly to about 35%. and Spanish or French and German languages are slightly common and remain stable up to 10%. Moreover, the 20% is another language, and 15% is two other languages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarise the main features of the charts comparing the language abilities of British students in 2000 and 2010. However, the data presented contains several inaccuracies and is poorly interpreted. For instance, the student states that '30 to 35% of British students were not able to use other languages', whereas the charts indicate that the figures were around 20% in 2000 and 35% in 2010. Furthermore, the description of other categories lacks clarity and misrepresents the specific percentages for Spanish, French, German, and multiple languages. While the overview accurately notes that the largest group spoke no other languages, the flawed data reporting and lack of comprehensive comparisons limit the overall task achievement. This places the response in Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay attempts to structure information with introductory, body, and concluding sections, using sequencing words like 'Firstly' and 'Secondly'. However, the overall progression of ideas is frequently unclear and disjointed. Referencing within paragraphs is often confusing, as seen in phrases like 'the students contained 15% knowledge of the French language', which makes relationships between data points hard to follow. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow of the body paragraphs is severely disrupted by awkward transitions and confusing sentence structures. These issues prevent the response from achieving a higher band, resulting in a score of 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, relying heavily on terms provided in the prompt such as 'proportions', 'British students', 'university', and 'languages'. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'students contained 15% knowledge' and 'Spanish languages, respectively'. The student attempts to use some less common terms like 'stable' and 'proportion', but inaccuracies in collocation and word form restrict the range. While communication is not entirely blocked, the limitations and errors in vocabulary place this response firmly at Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty or confusingly phrased, such as 'the percentage of students who could speak Spanish increased, while the figures for French and German remained relatively stable.' There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including fragment sentences like '. and Spanish or French and German languages are slightly common'. While simple sentences are generally understandable, the frequency of grammatical errors and awkward syntax causes some difficulty for the reader, justifying a Band 5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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