Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 showcase the ratio of English speaking students at a university who were also capable to speak other languages from 2000 to 2010.

Overall, the ratio of English speaking students increase over the years, while Spanish and French decreases with time. On the other hand, the ratio of German speaking students remain same while the two other languages aquire more portion over the years.

In 2000, the total ratio of native speakers are 30% and spanish are 20%, while the rest of the portion is belonging to all other languages. To be specific, French is at 15%, both German and two other languages are 10% each and 15% is acquired by an another language. English and Spanish alone cover the 50 percent of the chart.

While in 2010, the chart shows a dramatic shift from French and Spanish to an another language, although the native speakers increased as well from 30% to 35%. A decrease in French and Spanish speaking Students can be seen and both cover 20% of the circle 10% each.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad changes and include several accurate figures: Spanish falls from 20% to 10%, French from 15% to 10%, German stays at 10%, and the no-other-language group rises from 30% to 35%. However, the overview is not consistently accurate: the chart is about students’ additional languages, not the “ratio of English speaking students,” and “native speakers” is not a category shown. The claim that English and Spanish cover 50% is therefore misleading. You also describe a shift from French and Spanish to another language without clearly reporting that “another language” rises from 15% to 20% and two other languages from 10% to 15%. Select and compare the categories more precisely to make the main features clear and fully grounded in the charts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and separate discussion of 2000 and 2010. This makes the comparison easy to follow, and phrases such as “On the other hand” and “To be specific” help signal relationships between points. However, progression is sometimes weakened by unclear references and awkward links. For example, “the rest of the portion is belonging to all other languages” does not clearly identify the categories, while “a dramatic shift from French and Spanish to an another language” suggests a transfer that the charts do not establish. The overview also repeats some details later rather than setting out a concise summary of the main changes. Use clearer category labels and organise the comparison around increases, decreases, and unchanged figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “ratio,” “decrease,” “increased,” and “cover,” and you attempt more formal phrasing such as “dramatic shift.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision. “Ratio” is not the best term for percentages, “native speakers” mislabels the no-other-language category, and “acquired by an another language” is difficult to interpret. There are also spelling and form errors, including “aquire” and inconsistent capitalisation of “Spanish” and “Students.” Aim for straightforward, accurate language: describe each group as a “proportion” or “share,” and use the chart’s category names consistently. This will make your comparisons clearer without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “while” and a concession with “although.” The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “the ratio … increase” and “the ratio … remain” need subject–verb agreement, while “Spanish and French decreases” should use a plural verb. The phrase “the rest of the portion is belonging” has an incorrect verb construction, and “both cover 20% of the circle 10% each” needs clearer punctuation and sentence structure. Articles and number agreement also need attention in phrases such as “an another language.” Check agreement carefully and use simpler, complete sentence patterns when describing figures; this will improve accuracy while preserving your attempts at complex structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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