Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-29
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 7.5)
The pie charts illustrate the percentages of British students at an institution in England who spoke different languages in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, the proportion of students who spoke no other language was the highest in both years. French and Spanish accounted for smaller proportions, while German remained unchanged. Meanwhile, the percentages of students who spoke two other languages or another language increased over the period.
In 2000, Spanish was spoken by 20% of the students, but this figure fell significantly to 10% in 2010. Similarly, the proportion of students who spoke French decreased from 15% to 10%. In contrast, the percentage of German speakers remained stable at 10% throughout the period.
The proportion of students who spoke no other language increased from 30% in 2000 to 35% in 2010, making it the largest category in both years. The percentage of students who spoke two other languages also rose, from 10% to 15%. Likewise, the proportion of students who spoke another language increased steadily from 15% in 2000 to 20% in 2010.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making clear comparisons between the two years, 2000 and 2010. The overview effectively captures the primary trends, such as the dominance of students with no other language and the increases in those speaking two or more languages. Specific figures from the charts, such as Spanish falling from 20% to 10% and 'no other language' rising from 30% to 35%, are accurately cited and integrated into the response. The data is properly grounded in the source material without any noticeable inaccuracies or misreadings, demonstrating a well-developed and clear response to the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5
The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. The essay begins with an introductory paragraph, followed by a general overview, and then moves into well-structured body paragraphs that group information logically (individual languages in paragraph 3 and categories of language capability in paragraph 4). Cohesive devices are used appropriately and effectively, such as 'Overall', 'In 2000', 'Similarly', and 'In contrast', which help guide the reader through the comparisons. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the structure supports clear and coherent communication throughout the text.
Lexical Resource: Band 7.0
The student demonstrates a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task. Phrases like 'proportion of students', 'accounted for smaller proportions', 'remained unchanged', and 'increased steadily' show good control over common academic collocations and reporting language. There are no noticeable lexical errors, and the vocabulary allows the writer to convey precise numerical and comparative information effectively. While it does not employ highly sophisticated uncommon lexical items throughout, the range used is fully adequate and accurate for achieving a high band in this criterion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5
The response exhibits a wide range of grammatical structures, successfully blending simple and complex sentences. The student demonstrates good control over tense usage, shifting appropriately between the past tense for the historical data ('was spoken', 'fell significantly') and present simple for the description of the charts ('illustrate'). Complex structures, such as subordinate clauses ('while German remained unchanged', 'the proportion of students who spoke no other language'), are handled accurately. The vast majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled well, reflecting strong grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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