Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18
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 provided pie charts illustrate the number of British students at a single university of England who had the ability to speak foreign languages other than English in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, the number of Spanish and French speaker students reduced in 2010, while the German speakers remained constant over a period of 10 years; however, all other languages speaker strength rised significantly between 2000 and 2010.
In 2000, around one-fifth students and 15 percent were speaking Spanish and French respectively, and in contrast, in 2010 the proportion dropped to one-tenth for both. The students who had command on German remained plateued over the 10 years. On the other hand, there was an increase for another languages, and It was 15 percent in 2000, subsequently it moved upward to one-fifth in 2010. The one-tenth of English students had grip on two other languages in 2000, and it peaked to 15 percent in 2010. Around 30 percent English students were only aware of their native language and moreover, this figure surged to just over a quarter 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 task by selecting and reporting the main features of the charts comparing British students' language abilities in 2000 and 2010. An overview is provided in the second sentence, noting the general decline in Spanish and French speakers, the stability of German, and the increase in other languages. Key data points are accurately cited, such as the drop in Spanish and French speakers from 20% and 15% respectively down to 10%, and the increase in 'another language' to 20%. Comparisons are made where relevant, though there are a few minor data misreadings towards the end, such as stating 'this figure surged to just over a quarter in 2010' for the 'no other language' category when the chart shows an increase to 35%. Overall, the response covers the visual information well and achieves the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into a clear introductory paragraph, an overview, and a body paragraph detailing the specific data. There is a clear logical progression throughout the text, utilizing cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 2000', 'in contrast', and 'On the other hand'. However, paragraphing is somewhat rudimentary, as all the body details are lumped into a single dense paragraph rather than being logically broken down into categories or years. Referencing is mostly clear, though some transitional phrasing feels slightly repetitive or mechanical. Cohesion is managed adequately, placing the response securely in Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'constant', 'plateued' (spelled 'plateued' instead of 'plateaued'), and 'surged'. There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary and synonyms, but some word choices and collocations are awkward or inaccurate, such as 'speaker strength rised' instead of 'number of speakers increased', and 'had grip on' or 'aware of their native language'. Spelling errors like 'rised' (rose) and 'plateued' occur, but they do not impede communication, making this a solid Band 6 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using relative clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing choices, such as 'the number of Spanish and French speaker students reduced' (should be 'speakers'), 'around one-fifth students and 15 percent were speaking' (article missing), and 'another languages' (plural mismatch). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the overall communication of the data. This corresponds well to Band 6 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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