Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-07

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)

These two pi charts illustrating the number of British studetns at a single university that were able to speak other languages in addition to english ib 2000 and 2010.

In the year 2000 30 percent of students could only speak English while 20 % of people could speak spanish only 25 percent knows French and 15 percent knows anohter language, but 10 percent of stodents could speak german. yet 10 percent of people could speak more than 2 languages.

In 2010, The number of english speaker rose from 30 percent to 35 percent. But spanish and french speakers declined, in 2010 there were only 10 percent of spanich speakers and 10 percent of french speakers. But 20 percent of students knew another language, yet 15 percent of students could speak two other languages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the two years and report several relevant categories, including the rise in students speaking no other language (30% to 35%) and the figures for Spanish and French in 2010. However, the response is under the required 150 words, which limits how fully you can summarise the charts. There is also a significant data error: French in 2000 was 15%, not 25%. The overview is not clearly separated from the details, and the main pattern—that students speaking no other language remained the largest group while Spanish declined—could be stated more explicitly. Develop a fuller comparison of the categories and check each figure against the chart to make the summary more complete and accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a basic chronological order: it describes 2000 first and then moves to 2010. This makes the comparison reasonably easy to follow, and words such as “while,” “but,” and “yet” show attempts to connect information. However, the opening is an incomplete sentence, and the response has no clear overview paragraph to guide the reader through the main trends. Repeated use of “But” and “yet” makes the links between figures feel mechanical, while the long 2000 sentence combines several categories without a clear structure. Use a brief introduction, a distinct overview, and separate detail paragraphs; group related increases and decreases rather than listing figures in one sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “percent,” “declined,” “rose,” and “speak,” so the basic meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, including “people could speak” and “knew another language.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “studetns,” “spanich,” “anohter,” and “stodents,” which reduce the accuracy and polish of the report. Use more precise terms for chart categories and vary the language for describing proportions and changes. For example, distinguish “students who spoke only English” from students who spoke another language, and use “accounted for” or “the proportion of” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to form longer sentences and use contrast clauses, as in “while 20% of people could speak Spanish only,” but control is inconsistent. The opening sentence is a fragment because it has no main verb. There are also errors in agreement and verb forms, such as “25 percent knows French” and “15 percent knows another language”; use “25 percent spoke” and “15 percent spoke.” Capitalisation and punctuation are also uneven, particularly in “In 2010, The number,” and the long sentence about 2000 needs clearer punctuation or division into shorter sentences. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build a wider range of controlled sentence patterns.

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