Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-08

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 pie chart illustrates the percentage of British students at a particular university in England who were able to speak other language in addition to English, in two different years.

Overall , it is evident that the figure for British students decreased in French only and Spanish only , while there were increase and stable.

The quantity of british students was 30% in no other language in 2000 which increased to 35% in 2010.Talking about French only , it was 15% in 2000 , while the number decreased to 10% in 2010. When it comes to German only , it was remained stable in both years.

In terms of Spanish only , the amount was 20% in 2000 followed by a fall of 10% in 2010. Regarding another language, it was 15% in 2000, whereas the figure rise to 20% in 2010. As for two other languages, the number was 10 % in 2000 supported by a growth of 5% in 2010.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You report all six categories and give the correct figures for both years, including the rise in “No other language” from 30% to 35% and the fall in Spanish from 20% to 10%. The overview also identifies the main declines, although “while there were increase and stable” is too vague to summarise the upward and unchanged categories clearly. German is correctly described as stable, and the increases in “another language” and “two other languages” are included. To make the response more complete and precise, state the overall contrast explicitly: the share speaking no other language rose, while the combined categories for speaking one or more other languages changed in different directions. Avoid describing a 10% endpoint as a “fall of 10%,” which can be confused with a ten-percentage-point decrease.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs reporting the figures. The categories are mostly grouped and presented in a sensible order, and phrases such as “When it comes to” and “Regarding” help signal transitions. However, the overview is unclear, and the repeated formula “it was… in 2000” makes the report feel like a list rather than a connected comparison. Some linking phrases are also awkward or do not express the intended relationship clearly, such as “supported by a growth of 5%.” Improve progression by grouping the categories that rose, fell, or stayed unchanged, and use concise comparisons to connect the years within each sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “decreased,” “increased,” and “remained stable,” so the main information is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing proportions. “The quantity of British students was 30%” is not an appropriate collocation, while “the amount was 20%” should refer to a proportion or figure. “Supported by a growth” is also unsuitable, and “other language” needs a plural form in the introduction. These noticeable word-choice and collocation problems keep the description from being consistently precise. Use standard reporting language such as “the proportion stood at,” “rose to,” and “fell by,” taking care to distinguish a final value from the size of a change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer comparisons, and most figures remain understandable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless recur. For example, “there were increase and stable” lacks a correctly formed parallel structure; “it was remained stable” uses an unnecessary auxiliary; and “the figure rise to 20%” has incorrect tense. There are also problems with articles, plurals, and punctuation, as in “other language” and the spaces before commas. These errors do not generally prevent the reader from following the report, but they reduce accuracy and control. Check that past-tense verbs are consistent when describing the charts, and practise forming parallel clauses, for example, “the figure increased, while the German-only share remained stable.”

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