Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22
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 pie charts illustrates the proportion of British learners at one educational institute in the United Kingdom who were able to speak different languages additionally to English in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, it is evident that students who were not able to speak other language and who could speak Spanish these categories recorded the highest proportion of British students. After that it saw a increase. However, German and students who were able to speak two other languages they had the lowest share during the period.
To begin with, British students who were not know other language it accounted had the largest share of United Kingdom students at 30% in 2000, it increased to 35% in 2010. Spanish language was only speak 20% students, it saw a decline stood to 10% in 2010.
Turning to the next details, learners who were able to speak French that was 15% in 2000 and Another language stood at 15% in 2000, French climbed to 20% in 2010. Two other languages and German only could speak 10% in 2000, it reached a peak of 15% in 2010.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers most parts of the task by reporting the main features of both charts and making relevant comparisons between 2000 and 2010. An overview is attempted at the beginning of the second paragraph, noting that 'no other language' and Spanish formed the highest proportions initially, though the phrasing is slightly awkward. Data points are generally accurate, such as noting 'no other language' rose from 30% to 35% and Spanish dropped from 20% to 10%. However, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, the student states that French climbed to 20% in 2010 when the chart shows Another language at 20% and French at 10%. Despite these minor data misreadings, the key trends and proportions are sufficiently captured, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, following a logical structure with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific categories. Cohesive devices and referencing are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in expressions like 'After that it saw a increase' and 'Turning to the next details'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of languages, but transitions between sentences can feel abrupt and repetitive. Referencing is occasionally unclear due to grammatical errors. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow the progression of data, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'proportion', 'educational institute', and 'decline'. However, there are noticeable lexical and collocation errors throughout the response, such as 'additionally to English' instead of 'in addition to English', 'not know other language', and 'Spanish language was only speak 20% students'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and some awkward phrasing. Spelling is generally correct, but word choice errors occasionally cause slight confusion for the reader, placing this response securely at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'The two pie charts illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), 'British students who were not know other language it accounted had' (run-on/tangled syntax), and 'stood to 10%' instead of 'stood at 10%'. Complex structures are frequently faulty, leading to sentences that impede smooth reading. Although meaning can generally be deciphered, the high density of structural errors prevents the response from reaching Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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