Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The two pie chart compare the percentage of UK students in a university in England with the ability to speak a number of different languages in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, the proportion of students not interested in a foreign language was highest in both years. The percentage of french and two other language learners increased in later year whereas spanish learners were reduced and students showed no interest in another language.

In 2000, the highest percentage of 30% of educators were not interested in any other tongue besides their native. 15% pupils were learning french, 10% studied two other languages. Spanish was significantly famous among students with 20% learning it and and 10% studying german in that year.

By 2010, proportion of no other students rose to 35% and french become popular among learns at 20%. There was an increase of 5% university children studying two other languages while proportion of Spanish, French and German learners was same at 10% each.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two years and provide an overview, noting that the “No other language” group was largest in both years. You also report several relevant figures, including 30% and 35% for this group and the 5-point rise in students speaking two other languages. However, some key comparisons are inaccurate or unclear: French fell from 15% to 10%, not increased to 20%, and Spanish fell from 20% to 10%. The statement that students showed “no interest” in another language is not supported by the chart; it records language ability, not interest. The overview therefore misrepresents important trends, and the account of the “Another language” category is incomplete. Select the main changes accurately and distinguish each category throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2000 and 2010. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow, and time markers such as “In 2000” and “By 2010” help signal the comparisons. However, progression is weakened by unclear references and contradictory details. For example, “the percentage of french and two other language learners increased” is followed by an inaccurate claim about French, while “students showed no interest in another language” is difficult to connect to a chart category. The final sentence also groups Spanish, French and German together without clearly distinguishing their different changes. Use category names consistently and organise the body around comparable groups or changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “increased” and “rose,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision. Students are described as “educators,” “pupils,” “learners” and “university children,” although “students” is the appropriate consistent term. Phrases such as “not interested in a foreign language” and “Spanish was significantly famous” do not accurately describe the data. There are also spelling and form issues, including “french” and “spanish” without capital letters and “learns” where “learners” is intended. Build a more reliable set of chart-reporting expressions and use language that describes proportions and language ability directly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including a comparative overview and clauses beginning with “whereas.” However, errors in sentence structure and verb forms are frequent enough to make some statements difficult to interpret. The opening says “The two pie chart compare,” where the plural subject requires “charts” and “compare.” In “french become popular,” the verb form is incorrect, and the sentence also conflicts with the figures. The overview’s “in later year” lacks an article or plural form, while “15% pupils were learning” is missing “of.” Some sentences are also awkwardly joined, as in “and and 10%.” Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, past-tense reporting and sentence boundaries before adding more complex structures.

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