Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-06

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 5.0)

This chart shows the amount of British students at one university who were able to speak other languages besides English, from 2000 to 2010

In 2000, 30% percent of students were native English speakers. 15% of students spoke french aswell, 15% of students were able to speak another language. German speakers were 10% and Spanish speakers were 20%. Around 10% of people were trilingual

In 2010, Native English speakers were around 35%, French speakers rose from 15% to 20% compared to previous chart. German speakers were same as the last chart sitting at 10%. The number of Spanish speakers declined from 20% to 10% compared to Year 2000 while another language speakers expanded from 15% to 20%, The umber of trilingual speakers went from 15% to 20%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping short at 127 words. While the student attempts to summarise the charts by mentioning several figures such as the 30% and 35% for no other language and various percentages for specific languages, the information provided contains notable inaccuracies regarding the visual data, particularly with the 2000 figures where '30% percent of students were native English speakers' misinterprets the category 'No other language'. Furthermore, some comparisons between the two years are flawed, such as stating that French speakers rose from 15% to 20% when the data shows 10% in 2000. Key trends are only minimally addressed, resulting in a response that handles the task only partially.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates some organization by dividing the data into two distinct paragraphs for the years 2000 and 2010. However, there is no clear overall progression or introduction, and the response lacks an overview statement summarising the main trends. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, relying heavily on simple transitions like 'In 2000' and 'In 2010'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and punctuation errors, such as missing full stops at the end of sentences (e.g., 'trilingual', '20'), disrupt the flow and logical linkage of ideas throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, featuring basic terms such as 'amount', 'speakers', and 'chart'. There are several word choice and data-reading inaccuracies, such as referring to 'No other language' as 'native English speakers', and spelling errors like 'aswell' instead of 'as well' and 'umber' instead of 'number'. The range is minimally adequate for the task, but noticeable errors in lexical precision and word formation prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a limited range of simple and basic complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'The umber of trilingual speakers went from 15% to 20%', missing articles, and awkward phrasing such as 'German speakers were same as the last chart'. Punctuation is also weak, with run-on ideas and missing terminal punctuation in multiple sentences. While these errors rarely completely obscure the meaning, they occur frequently enough to impede smooth reading.

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.