Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-04

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 two pie charts illustrate data about the percentages of British students at UK university who had the ability to spoken other languages in two separate years, 2000 and 2010.

Overall, it is apparent that the students with no other language accounted for the largest share of the total distribution in both years. Conversely, Spanish and French students experienced a decline in figure. As for students who spoke german language remained relatively stable.

Looking at the details, the fraction of students who spoke no other language, saw a marginal increase from 30% to 35% between 2000 and 2010. Compared with 2000, students who spoke british dropped sharply from 20% to 10% by 2010. Similarly, the figure of French speakers fell slightly from 15% to one in ten in 2010. There was a considerable surge in the number of speakers who spoke two other languages from 10% to 15% by 2010. The porportion of German students remained entirely static in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making comparisons between the two years, 2000 and 2010. You provide a clear overview and successfully identify that students with no other language formed the largest share, alongside other key trends. However, some parts of the task are developed more fully than others, and there are minor inaccuracies in reporting specific data points. For instance, you mention that 'Spanish and French students experienced a decline in figure' and state that Spanish speakers dropped sharply from 20% to 10%, while French speakers fell slightly. While the general trends are correct, the development tends to list figures rather than fully integrating all comparisons across categories. To reach a higher level, ensure that all data citations are completely precise and that comparisons are more fully extended and supported throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You make effective use of introductory and transitional framing, such as 'Overall, it is apparent that...' and 'Looking at the details...', which guides the reader smoothly through the response. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the body details. Cohesive devices are used generally well, though there is occasional minor mechanical usage in how data points are chained together. Referencing is mostly clear, and the progression of ideas from overall trends down to specific percentages ensures the text holds together coherently. To move further up, cohesive devices could be deployed with even greater flexibility and variety to make the transitions entirely seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

An adequate range of vocabulary is used to handle the task effectively, including terms such as 'proportion', 'distribution', 'marginal increase', and 'considerable surge'. You attempt less common vocabulary items with some success, though there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as writing 'the ability to spoken other languages' instead of 'spoken' and referring to 'Spanish and French students' when the charts measure languages spoken rather than student nationalities. Additionally, 'porportion' contains a spelling error. These slips do not impede communication, but they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher level of precision. To improve, focus on precise collocational patterns and careful self-correction of word forms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising structures such as 'the fraction of students who spoke no other language, saw a marginal increase' and 'There was a considerable surge in the number of speakers...'. There are some grammatical errors present, such as the tense/participle error in 'had the ability to spoken other languages' and an awkward construction in 'As for students who spoke german language remained relatively stable'. However, punctuation is generally controlled, and these errors occur alongside error-free sentences and rarely impede communication. To achieve a higher score, you should aim for a wider variety of complex grammatical structures executed with greater accuracy and fewer slip-ups in basic clause construction.

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

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