Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

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

Overall, the proportion of students who spoke no additional languages increased over the ten-year period. While Spanish and French became less popular, there was a rise students speaking "another language" or "two other languages".

In 2000, 30% of students spoke no other language, but this figure grew to 35% in 2010, Conversely, Spanish-only speakers dropped by half, falling 20% to 10% over the decade. Similarly, the proportion of French-only language speakers decreased from 15% in 2000 to 10% in 2010. German-only speakers remained completely unchanged at 10% in both years.

In contrast, the category for "another language" showed an increase, rising from 15% in 2000 to 20% in 2010. Furthermore, the percentage of students who could speak two other languages also went up, growing from 10% to 15% by the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the data for both years and highlighting the main features and trends. An effective overview is provided in the second paragraph, correctly noting the general increase in students speaking no additional languages alongside shifts in specific foreign languages. Key features are accurately reported with precise figures, such as noting that Spanish-only speakers dropped from 20% to 10% and that the proportion of students with no other language grew from 30% to 35%. Comparisons are made clearly and relevantly throughout the response, satisfying all requirements of the Band 7 and 8 descriptors for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. Information and ideas are structured into appropriate paragraphs, moving from an introduction and overview to detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the comparisons, such as 'Overall', 'While', 'Conversely', and 'In contrast'. Referencing is clear throughout, and each paragraph has a distinct central topic. The use of paragraphing and transitions is handled well, aligning comfortably with the Band 8 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary for the task. Functional language for describing data is used effectively, such as 'proportion', 'percentage', 'remained completely unchanged', and 'showed an increase'. There is a minor typo in the second paragraph ('rise students speaking'), but this does not impede communication. The use of less common phrases like 'over the ten-year period' and 'by the end of the period' demonstrates an adequate to good control of lexical resource, fitting comfortably within Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writing features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses introduced by 'while', 'as', and 'that'. Grammatical control is generally strong, with many error-free sentences. There is a slight slip in grammar in the second paragraph where the preposition 'of' is missing ('rise students speaking'), and a punctuation error in the third paragraph ('35% in 2010, Conversely,' instead of a full stop or semicolon). However, these minor errors do not impede communication, and the overall grammatical range and accuracy reflect a solid Band 7 performance.

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

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