Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-21
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 two charts illustrate the proportion of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, no other language remained the highest spoken language in England in both years, while German only accounted for the shares. In addition, two other languages and another language experienced nominal growth, whereas Spanish and French experienced a decline in their proportions.
In 2000, no other language was spoken highest in England among British students with over 30 percent, which was more than double of the figure of German and two other languages at 10 percent. By 2010, the proportion of Spanish fell to 10 percent while French dropped slightly to 10 percent from 15 percent.
The most dramatic change was another language which increased by 50 percent in 2010 from its own proportion ratio in 2000. In contrast, no other language had the highest proportion
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the charts for both 2000 and 2010. An overview is provided, noting the dominance of 'no other language' and the general trends of growth or decline among other categories. However, some of the specific data points are misinterpreted or expressed awkwardly, such as stating that 'no other language remained the highest spoken language in England' (the data reflects students at a university in England) and describing proportions confusingly. There is an attempt to make relevant comparisons, though some statements like 'which increased by 50 percent' miscalculate the actual percentage point change. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the key information is broadly captured, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and body paragraphs attempting to logically sequence the data. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In addition', 'In 2000', and 'In contrast'. However, referencing and progression are sometimes awkward or mechanical. For instance, the transition into the final paragraph feels abrupt, and the sentence 'In contrast, no other language had the highest proportion' trails off or contradicts earlier points. Paragraphing is present but could be more effectively managed to group related trends together. These issues place the response firmly in the Band 6 range for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms like 'proportion', 'illustrate', 'experienced a decline', and 'nominal growth'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'highest spoken language' instead of 'largest category of students speaking no other language', and the misuse of 'proportion ratio'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success, and some phrasing sounds unnatural or repetitive. Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary limitations occasionally cause slight confusion for the reader, aligning with the Band 6 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases (e.g., 'In 2000, no other language was spoken highest...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, such as 'no other language was spoken highest in England among British students with over 30 percent' and the incomplete final sentence ('In contrast, no other language had the highest proportion'). While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 7. Control over grammar and punctuation is moderate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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