Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-05
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)
These pie charts illustrate comparsion of British students from a university who could speak other languages along with English in the years of 2000 and 2010. Overall, there are some fluctuations in the percentages of all the languages but the most signficant observation is that proportion of only English speakers increased.
In the first chart it can be seen that, around one third of students could no speak any langauage other than English. The most spoken second language was Spanish that stood at 20 percent of the graph. It was followed by French that was 15 percent. Students who could spoke German also was one tenth of the data. Student that spoke other languages an the students those spoke two languages in addition to English were one fourth of the total data, collectively.
In comparison the percentage of only English speaker rose by 5 percent in 2010 and rest were am
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response makes an attempt to present an overview and select main features, but the reporting is incomplete because the text cuts off abruptly mid-sentence. While the opening paragraph provides a basic paraphrase and an overview noting that the proportion of only English speakers increased, the body paragraphs fail to fully report all the data from the charts. For example, the student mentions that around one-third could not speak another language and lists Spanish and French percentages for 2000, but the comparisons and details for 2010 are severely underdeveloped and incomplete due to the premature ending. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, which fits this performance level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates some basic organisation with an introductory sentence, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the charts. However, there is no clear overall progression or fully developed logical flow because the response stops short in the final paragraph. Cohesive devices are attempted, such as 'Overall,' 'In the first chart,' and 'In comparison,' but referencing and transitions between ideas are sometimes mechanical or basic. Paragraphing is initiated properly, but the truncated ending disrupts the structural integrity of the essay, limiting its ability to achieve a fully coherent arrangement throughout.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, featuring appropriate topic-related terms such as 'proportions,' 'percentages,' and language names. The student attempts some less common phrasing like 'the most signficant observation' and 'fluctuations,' though there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'comparsion' instead of 'comparison,' 'signficant,' 'could no speak' instead of 'could not speak,' and 'langauage.' These lexical slips and minor inaccuracies are present, but they do not completely impede communication, reflecting a minimally adequate range for this level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
There is a limited range of sentence structures attempted, with a mix of simple and some basic complex forms. However, the text contains frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement and word-form issues in phrases like 'Students who could spoke German also was one tenth' and 'Student that spoke other languages an the students those spoke two languages.' Additionally, article errors ('the proportion of only English speakers') and preposition misuse occur. These frequent errors in grammar and phrasing can cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted control over more complex grammatical patterns.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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