Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-03
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 illustrate the average of British learners at university in England who were capable to communicate other languages other than English in 2000 and 2010.
Overall, who able to speak only English had the largest proportion, while who could communicate in French, Spanish and German had the smallest proportion.
In 2000, no other language stood at 30%, which was largest figure. Who could able to speak French, German and Spanish accounted for 15%, 10% and 20% respectively. In addition, another language and two other languages constituted for 25% collectively.
In 2010, at 35% students who could speak only English had the largest figure. Moreover, Spanish, French and German were each spoken by 10% of British learners. Therefore, these three languages had the same proportion. Another language stood at 20%, that was the almost double than above figure. Two other languages accounted for 15%. French, Spanish and German had the smallest proportion.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the task partially and presents an overview with some main features, but the reporting of data contains inaccuracies. For instance, the student states that another language and two other languages constituted 25% collectively in 2000, whereas the chart shows 15% and 10%, which is correct, but later misinterprets the relationship of figures, stating that another language stood at 20% in 2010 which was 'almost double than above figure' when comparing it incorrectly. The overview touches upon the main trends, noting that the proportion of those speaking only English was the largest while specific foreign languages formed smaller groups. However, some data points are under-developed or inaccurately described, keeping the response at this level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
There is a coherent overall arrangement with a logical division into paragraphs, moving from an introduction to an overview and separate body paragraphs for each year. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. The referencing and transitional phrases are basic, such as 'In addition' and 'Moreover', and sentences like 'Overall, who able to speak only English had the largest proportion' display awkward cohesion due to missing nouns. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the years, but the progression between ideas within paragraphs lacks seamless linking, reflecting a standard typical of this level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but the range is limited and contains noticeable errors in word choice and collocation. Examples include 'capable to communicate other languages' instead of 'capable of communicating in other languages', and 'largest figure' where 'largest proportion' or 'highest percentage' would be more precise. There are also awkward phrasings such as 'constituated for' (a blend of 'constituted' and 'accounted for'). While these do not completely impede communication, they cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the lexical score from rising higher.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and basic subject-verb-object patterns. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, seen in clauses like 'who able to speak only English had the largest proportion' and 'who could able to speak French, German and Spanish accounted for'. There are frequent errors in verb forms, missing auxiliary verbs, and awkward relative clauses. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but persistent grammatical errors in almost every sentence cause considerable difficulty for the reader.
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.