Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-13

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 6.0)

The 2 given pie charts give us information about the proportions of British students at a university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in the years 2000 and 2010 respectively.

In the year 2000, 30% of the student body could only speak the English language. The most spoken language other than English was Spanish, as about 20% of the students were able to speak it. 15% of the students could speak 1 other language, while only 10% of the students knew how to speak two languages other than the English language.

The proportion changed significantly in the year 2010. In this year, the percentage of students who could not speak any language, other than English, increased to 35%. The percentage of students who were able to speak Spanish and French also decreased to only 10%. Percentage of students who spoke German remained the same, while the major change we can observe is that the percentage of students who could speak a language other than English increased from 15% in 2000 to about 20% in 2010. We can clearly observe that the percentage of English as the only spoken language is increasing as years pass.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two years and report several key figures accurately, including the rise in students with no other language from 30% to 35%, and the fall in Spanish from 20% to 10%. However, the account does not fully cover the chart categories: French is mentioned, but German is not given a figure, and the 2010 figures for “another language” and “two other languages” are not clearly distinguished. The statement that students could speak “1 other language” at 15% is ambiguous because it appears to combine French, German and another language. Your overview is also limited: it notes the increase in English-only students but misses the broader shift towards “another language” and two other languages. More precise category-by-category comparisons would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows a generally clear order, moving from the 2000 chart to the 2010 chart, and the paragraph break helps separate the two periods. Linking phrases such as “In the year 2000,” “In this year,” and “while” make the sequence easy to follow. However, the response lacks a distinct overview, so the reader has to infer the main pattern from details near the end. Some references are unclear: “1 other language” and “a language other than English” do not specify which chart category is meant. The final sentence repeats the increase in students speaking only English rather than adding a new comparison. Grouping the categories that rose and fell, then comparing the years directly, would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportions,” “percentage,” “decreased,” and “remained the same,” and the meaning is generally clear. There is some repetition of “percentage of students” and “language,” which makes the report less precise and varied. A few expressions are awkward or imprecise for describing the chart: “could only speak the English language” and “could not speak any language, other than English” can suggest that students spoke no language at all, rather than no additional language. “The most spoken language” is also less natural than a phrase describing the largest share of students able to speak a language. Use the chart’s category labels consistently, especially “another language” and “two other languages,” to improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most sentences communicate the intended comparisons. For example, “The percentage of students who were able to speak Spanish and French also decreased” uses a relative clause effectively, while “Percentage of students who spoke German remained the same” shows an attempt at a more concise structure. Some grammatical errors remain. The latter sentence needs a determiner (“The percentage”), and “Percentage of students who spoke German remained the same” also needs a clearer subject reference. In “The proportion changed significantly in the year 2010,” the wording is grammatically possible but the reference is vague. Check articles and make sure each sentence’s subject clearly identifies the proportion or group being compared.

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