Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-17
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 charts illustrates the percentage of British students at one university in England, capable of speaking other languages despite English in the year 2000 and 2010.
Overall, the results shown in both charts differentiate the proportions of students who were able to speak languages other than just English, saying that the highest upto 30% of British people speak no other language but English only in 2000 whereas, in 2010, the proportion raised to about 35%. The French was spoken at an average of 15% in 2000, while in 2010, it decreased to 10%. German language got influenced with an average of 10% in 2000, and in 2010, it remained the same. There was Spanish language with a proportion of 20% as being the language only being spoke in England, thus got reduction in it of 10% by the year 2010. Another language besides these was also used to communicate with a percentage of 15% in 2000, and by the year 2010, this specific value rose upto 20%. Despite all these above mentioned linguistics, two other languages were also discovered to be spoken in England with a ratio of 10% in 2000, rising its value in 2010 to a proportion of 15% respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student covers all major parts of the prompt by reporting data from both years across the various categories, such as the increase in those speaking no other language (from 30% to 35%) and changes in specific languages like French and Spanish. However, the response lacks a clear, cohesive overall trend summary or overview in the opening, and some of the data reporting is slightly clunky or imprecise (e.g., describing Spanish as 'the language only being spoke in England'). While key features are identified and compared, the lack of a distinct overview paragraph places this firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 territory, leaning towards Band 6.0 for adequately addressing all categories.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is presented as a single large paragraph following the introduction, which severely hampers logical paragraphing and visual organization. Cohesive devices are attempted, but phrases like 'There was Spanish language with a proportion of 20%...' and 'Despite all these above mentioned linguistics' feel mechanical, awkward, and inaccurate. Although there is a discernible sequence moving through the categories, the lack of paragraph breaks between data points and the repetitive sentence structures result in a disjointed reading experience that matches the Band 5 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the visual data, including terms like 'proportion', 'percentage', 'decreased', and 'remained the same'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'despite English', 'German language got influenced', 'being the language only being spoke', and 'above mentioned linguistics'. These errors in word choice and collocation occasionally cause strain for the reader, though communication of the underlying data points remains mostly clear. This places the response comfortably at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout, such as 'The charts illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), 'the proportion raised' (confusing raised with rose), 'thus got reduction in it', and 'rising its value'. Punctuation and article usage also show frequent lapses. While some sentences are accurate, the density of grammatical errors across complex constructions keeps the score at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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