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 pie charts illustrate the proportion of the UK students who are able to speak other languages except English in a particular university in Britian, over the period of one decade starting from 2000.
Overall, it is apparent that students who speak no other languages then English, remained the dominant category in both years. Notably, Spanish and French language experienced a drop in the second year. In contrast, the percentage of another language, two other languages and no other lannguages saw a relative increase in the last year. Moreover, German only stayed at the simultaneously level across two years given in the chart.
Looking at the data in detail, the student did not interested in speaking any other language represented the highest share of 30% in 2000 and 35% in 2010. In addition to this, the second maximum ratio of another languages in 2000 accounted for 15% and grew slightly to 20% in 2010. In addition to this, the percentage of no other languages was noted at 10% in the initial year and climbed to 20% in the final year.
Regarding the other languages, the interest of students in German language stood at the same level of 10% in both 2000 and 2010. Moreover, Spanish and French constituted 20% and 15% in the first year and declined significantly to 10% in 2010.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main features of the charts and making relevant comparisons between 2000 and 2010. An overview is provided, noting that students speaking no other languages remained the dominant category, and key data points are cited accurately, such as the 30% to 35% figures for those with no other language and the trends for Spanish and French. However, there are minor data inaccuracies in the third paragraph, where the writer states 'the percentage of no other languages was noted at 10% in the initial year and climbed to 20%', which actually corresponds to 'two other languages' on the chart. Despite this slip, the core task requirements are met effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically with a clear overall progression. It is divided into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two detailed body paragraphs that break down the data effectively. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'Moreover', and 'Looking at the data in detail'. However, there are minor referencing and cohesion glitches, such as 'the student did not interested in speaking any other language', which sounds slightly awkward and mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to structure the analysis.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common phrases such as 'dominant category', 'constituted', and 'declined significantly'. However, there are several lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'Britian' (spelling), 'stayed at the simultaneously level' (inappropriate collocation), and 'the student did not interested' (grammatical/lexical fusion). Spelling and word-choice errors occur but do not impede overall communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('students who speak no other languages') and introductory participial phrases ('Looking at the data in detail'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and prepositions, including 'languages other than English except English' (redundancy), 'did not interested', and 'stayed at the simultaneously level'. While these errors occasionally cause minor friction for the reader, communication remains clear.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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