Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-27

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 6.5)

The 2 pie charts illustrate the proportions of British students who can speak languages other than English in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, in both years, students who only speak English accounted for the highest percentage, while the lowest was German language. There was a 5% growth in the no other language/two other languages category, whereas Spanish language speakers dropped by 10%. German language was the only category that stayed unchanged.

Students who only spoke English increased from 30% in 2000 to 35% in 2010. Likewise, students who could speak another language went up by 5% from 15% to 20% over the period given. Also, students who could speak two other languages rose from 10% to 15% in 2010. Spanish speakers dropped significantly by 10 percentage points from 20% to 10% in 2010, while French speakers dropped by 5% from 15% in 2000 to 10% in 2010.

German speakers remained the same at 10% in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the charts for both 2000 and 2010. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the dominant category (no other language) and the general trends such as the drop in Spanish speakers and the stability of German. Key data points are accurately cited, such as the increase in monolingual English speakers from 30% to 35% and the decline in Spanish speakers from 20% to 10%. The comparison and reporting of proportions are accurate and align with the visual data. The response meets all requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 7.0 level, as it covers all parts with relevant data clearly presented, though it could benefit from a slightly more developed summary of all categories.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and well-structured body paragraphs detailing the specific data. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, including transitional phrases like 'Overall', 'Likewise', and 'while'. Paragraphing is logical, separating the general overview from the detailed breakdowns. However, referencing and transitions between sentences can occasionally feel somewhat mechanical rather than fully fluid, placing this response comfortably within the Band 7 range for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully utilizing terms like 'proportions', 'accounted for', 'growth', and 'percentage points'. There are attempts at less common phrasing such as 'stayed unchanged' and 'dropped significantly'. While vocabulary is generally appropriate, it lacks the more sophisticated, flexible control characteristic of higher bands (e.g., repeating 'speakers' and simple verbs like 'rose' and 'dropped'). Spelling and word choice are accurate, supporting clear communication without impeding the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses ('students who can speak') and comparative structures effectively. Grammatical accuracy is generally high, with frequent error-free sentences, such as 'German speakers remained the same at 10% in both years.' Control over past and present tenses is well maintained when describing data across the two specific years. Minor awkwardness in phrasing appears occasionally, but these do not impede communication, matching the Band 7 descriptors.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.