Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-01
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 pie charts compare the total number of students living in United Kingdom, who speak international languages other than English. The data is collected in the year 2000 and 2010.
Overall, the students knowing no other language were at the top in both years. While, the number of students commanding in Spanish only and another language was decreased in the later year. The proportion of german speaking students stayed same in both years.
In terms of pupils with only english as their speaking language, contributed highest (35%) in both years with 5% increase from 2000 to 2010. Simmilarly, familarity of another language among students also increased by 5%.
In contrast, the students having expertise in German and French lowered by 10% and 5% respectively. German language remained equally popular among student in both years with 10%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response only partially addresses the task requirements and falls short of the minimum word count of 150 words, finishing at 136 words. While there is an attempt to summarise the charts and provide an overview, the ideas remain limited and under-developed. Furthermore, there are noticeable contradictions and inaccuracies in data reporting; for example, the text states that the proportion of German-speaking students stayed the same in the second paragraph, but later claims it lowered by 10%. To reach a higher band, the student must meet the length requirement, eliminate contradictory statements, and provide a more fully developed account of the main trends with accurate data selection.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays some overall organization with clear paragraph breaks separating the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, providing a basic framework. However, there is no clear progression throughout the response, partly due to contradictory information between paragraphs. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, such as using 'While,' to start a sentence followed by a comma, or inappropriate transitional phrasing like 'In terms of pupils with only english as their speaking language, contributed highest'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, the writer needs to ensure logical links between sentences are used naturally, avoid internal contradictions, and create a smoother flow of ideas from start to finish.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic ideas about the charts. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'proportion', 'expertise', and 'familarity', but these are occasionally accompanied by inaccurate word choice or collocation, such as 'students commanding in Spanish only' or 'speaking language' instead of 'spoken language'. There are also minor spelling and capitalization errors, such as 'german' and 'english'. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to expand their lexical range and use less common vocabulary with greater precision, ensuring natural phrasing and correct word forms throughout the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response relies on a limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues and awkward phrasing, such as 'the students having expertise in German and French lowered by 10% and 5% respectively' (where the students did not lower, but the percentages did) and 'the students knowing no other language were at the top'. Punctuation and article usage also show occasional lapses. To progress, the writer should practice constructing a wider variety of complex sentences with accurate grammatical control, paying closer attention to passive voice, verb forms, and modifiers.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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