Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The charts illustrate the percentage of British students at a university in England who could speak languages other than English in 2000 and 2010.

The proportion of students who could speak at least one additional language increased over the ten years. Spanish remained the most commonly spoken foreign language, while the percentage of students who spoke no other language decreased.

In 2000, 30% of British students were unable to speak any language apart from English. Among those who could speak another language, Spanish was the most popular, accounting for 15% of students. French was spoken by 10%, while German was spoken by 5%. In addition, 20% of students could speak another language that was not listed in the chart. A further 10% were able to speak two other languages.

By 2010, the percentage of students who spoke no language other than English had risen to 35%, according to the figures provided. Spanish accounted for 10%, while French and German each represented 10%. Meanwhile, 20% of students spoke another unspecified language, and 15% could speak two other languages.

Overall, the figures show some changes in the languages spoken by British students, with Spanish becoming less common and the proportion speaking two other languages increasing slightly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear summary of the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two years. Key trends are identified, such as the increase in students speaking no other language and the shift in specific language popularity. However, there are some minor factual inaccuracies when reporting the data from the visual source; for instance, the student states that in 2000 Spanish accounted for 15% (when the source data shows Spanish at 20% and French at 15%) and mentions German was spoken by 5% in one instance while the chart shows German only at 10%. Despite these minor data-reading discrepancies, the overall response provides a well-developed overview and covers the necessary features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. The information is divided into sensible paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by general trends, specific data for 2000, specific data for 2010, and a concluding overview. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the data, such as 'In 2000', 'By 2010', and 'Meanwhile'. Referencing is generally clear, and paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different sections of the analysis, satisfying the requirements for Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully employing terms such as 'illustrate', 'proportion', 'commonly spoken', and 'represented'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'unspecified' and 'accounting for'. However, some word choices and data interpretations are imprecise, and there is occasional repetition of phrasing when describing the percentages. The lexical range is sufficient for precision, but minor inaccuracies in reporting and vocabulary choice place it firmly at Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilizing clauses effectively to compare data across the two years (e.g., 'The proportion of students who could speak at least one additional language increased over the ten years.'). Grammatical control is generally strong with a high proportion of error-free sentences, though minor slips occur. Punctuation is accurate, and sentence structures do not impede communication, demonstrating the control associated with Band 7.

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

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