Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The pie charts show the comparison of british students that are able to speak languages other than English between year 2000 and 2010.

Overall, the highest proportion is about the students who didn't speak any other language rather than English in both years.While the persons who can speak German is same in both eras.

Initially, if we talk about the year 2000, the major proportion is of the students who cannot speak any other language that is 30 percent. While, 15 percent of students can speak only French and the same ratio is of Another language. The 20 percent can speak Spanish, and the rest of 20 is dividen in to 2 parts; German only and Two other languages.

Eventually, the chart of 2010 shows the larger proportion of students who cannot speak any other language and the percentage is 30. Twenty percent students can speak an another language, while 15 percent can speak Two other languages. There is a same proportion of 10, in 3 catagories i.e; Spanish, French and German.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and make a useful overall observation that students with no additional language formed the largest group in both years. However, some key figures are misreported: in 2010, the no-other-language group was 35%, not 30%, and in 2000 the French-only and another-language groups were 15% each, which you report correctly. Your overview also says German remained unchanged, but this comparison is not developed alongside the more notable shifts: Spanish fell from 20% to 10%, while another language and two other languages rose. The response covers both charts, but the inaccurate 2010 figure and limited emphasis on the main changes leave the summary only partly complete. Check each figure against the chart and foreground the largest changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2000 and 2010. This helps the reader follow the year-by-year account. However, progression is somewhat mechanical, relying on “Initially” and “Eventually,” and several sentences begin with “While” without being properly connected to a main clause. The overview is also not clearly separated from the detailed comparisons, and the final paragraph lists categories rather than drawing the comparison together. Use clearer links to show contrast between years, and organise the body around the most important increases, decreases, and unchanged figures rather than repeating a list for each chart.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “speak,” and “categories,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and some expressions are awkward or imprecise, such as “the major proportion is of the students” and “the rest of 20 is divided into 2 parts.” “Persons” is less natural than “students” in this context, and “same proportion of 10” would be clearer as “the same proportion, at 10%.” There are also spelling errors, including “dividen” and “catagories,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for concise, conventional chart language and check spelling; for example, describe groups as “accounted for” a percentage or “rose/fell to” a figure.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, but control is inconsistent, which sometimes makes relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “While the persons who can speak German is same in both eras” is a fragment, and “While, 15 percent of students can speak only French…” is also not a complete sentence. There are errors in articles and agreement in “can speak an another language” and “the percentage is 30,” as well as punctuation problems where sentences run together after “both years.” Use complete clauses, check singular and plural agreement, and punctuate sentence boundaries carefully. More accurate simple comparisons would improve clarity before you add complex structures.

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