Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-16
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 two pie charts illustrate the distribution among British students who are capable of speaking multiple foreign languages other than English at an University in England, in the year 2001 and 2010.
Overall, the proportion of students who were not able to speak any languages other than English shared the largest proportion in both the year, whereas the share of students speaking German only remained the same. However, the percentage of students speaking other languages varied over the time.
In 2000, the largest majority of the sudents who were speaking english only, accounted for 30, while students who were proficient in German only and in two other languages were shared the same number, 10. In addition to that, Only French and another language speaking students were equal in numbers, reporting for 15 in 200. However, Spanish speaking students were accounted for 20 only in, which was the second largest proportion in the year 2000.
Furthermore, the percentage of students speaking only Spanish, French, and German constituted the equal proportion of students, which was 10 in each proportion, in 2010. While, the number of students speaking english shared the highest proportion, were accounted for 35, followed the number students who were speaking another language, 20 in 2010. Moreover, 15 students were able to speak two other languages in 2010.
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 candidate attempts to summarise the main features of the two pie charts, correctly identifying the largest category ('No other language') and noting that German only remained constant while other proportions changed. However, there are some data inaccuracies and misinterpretations. For instance, the student refers to the year 2001 instead of 2000 in the opening paragraph, and repeatedly refers to percentages or raw counts in a confusing manner (e.g., stating 'reporting for 15 in 200' and '15 students were able to speak'). Furthermore, the overview mentions that German only remained the same, which is accurate (both at 10%), but the overall summary misses a broader synthesis of the trends. Because of the inaccuracies in figures and referencing, the response achieves a Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific years. There is a basic logical progression, and the student attempts to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 2000', and 'Furthermore'. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, and referencing is unclear in places (e.g., 'shared the same number, 10' and 'constituted the equal proportion of students, which was 10 in each proportion'). Paragraphing is used, but the internal logical flow within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and repetition. This fits the Band 6 descriptor well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'proportion', 'distribution', 'proficient', and 'constituted'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'speaking english only, accounted for 30' (omitting percentages), 'largest majority', and 'another language speaking students'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but word choices lack precision. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic message, earning a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as 'an University' (article error), 'students who were not able to speak any languages other than English shared the largest proportion' (awkward subject-verb/collocation pairing), and 'followed the number students who were speaking'. Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequent grammatical slips occasionally cause minor difficulty for the reader. This performance aligns with a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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