Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-28
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 illustrate the percentage of British pupil at a university in United kingdom who were able to speak other languages apart from english in the given period from 2000 to 2010.
From an overall perspective, it can be observed from the pie charts, that majority of the students who were able to speak no other language had highest ratio. On the flip side of the coin, tutee who able to speak German only had least percentage in the given both years.
Analyzing the statement and explaining further, from the picture, it could be crystal clear that plethora of students spoke no other language and that ratio was 30% in 2000 and 35% in 2010. In the next category, learners who spoke Spanish only stayed at 20% in 2000 which had decreased by 10% in 2010. Furthermore, at combined level two other languages or German only had same level of 10% in former year or increased by 5% in later year. Moreover, the same situation with youngsters who had the ability to speak French or another language had same proportion 15% in both years.
Moving towards an other remaining portion, in 2010, no other language spoke among pupil wide level and that was 35% in 2010 while two other language and another language had also increased by 20% or 15% in the latest year. In addition, Spanish, French and German had same ratio of 10% in 2010 but over the period no other language had the maximum growth as compared to others.
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 attempts to address the prompt by summarising the main features of the two pie charts. A clear overview is provided, noting that 'no other language' had the highest proportion while 'German only' had the lowest. Key data points are cited, such as the 30% to 35% increase for no other language and the drop in Spanish. However, there are some inaccuracies and confusions in data reporting, particularly in the third and fourth paragraphs where percentages and categories become repetitive and slightly muddled (e.g., claiming two other languages increased by 20% in 2010 when the chart shows 15%, and repeating 2010 data unnecessarily). While the core message is conveyed, the lack of precision in data extraction prevents a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is divided into logical paragraphs, including an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that attempt to group data. Cohesive devices such as 'From an overall perspective', 'On the flip side of the coin', and 'Furthermore' are used to structure the text, although some phrases feel slightly unnatural or colloquial ('On the flip side of the coin'). Progression is sometimes hindered by repetitive referencing of years and overlapping categories in the final paragraph, which disrupts the logical flow of ideas. Paragraphing is present but could be managed more effectively to separate the years or specific trends.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'plethora', 'proportion', and 'maximum growth'. However, there are notable lexical and collocation errors, such as 'British pupil' instead of 'pupils' or 'students', 'tutee' used incorrectly to refer to students, and 'former year' instead of 'the former year' or '2000'. Word form errors are also present (e.g., 'who able to speak'). These inaccuracies and occasional odd word choices restrict the lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses ('students who were able to speak...') and subordinate clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the text. There are frequent missing articles ('in United kingdom', 'apart from english'), subject-verb agreement issues ('tutee who able to speak'), and awkward phrasing ('no other language spoke among pupil wide level'). Complex structures often contain errors that cause some difficulty for the reader, placing this response firmly in the Band 5 category for grammar.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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